Domain Rene Engel Clos Vougeot 1996
The 1996 Domaine René Engel Clos Vougeot is a red Burgundy wine produced by Domaine René Engel in the Vougeot appellation. Made from 100% Pinot Noir from the Clos de Vougeot parcel, it holds the Burgundy Grand Cru status. The Wine Advocate awards it 90-93/100 and recommends tasting between 2003 and 2009. The review describes a silky palate, medium to full-bodied, combining ripe black fruits, earthy nuances, and supple tannins, with a finish marked by blackberry.
La bouteille proposée
- Size
- Bottle (75cl)
- Packaging
- Loose
- Label Condition
- Perfect
- Fill Level
- Perfect
- Capsule Condition
- Perfect
Identité du vin
- Couleur
- Red
- Pays
- France
- Région
- Bourgogne
- Appellation
- Vougeot
- Producteur / Domaine
- Domaine René Engel
- Parcelle / Cru
- Clos de Vougeot
- Millésime
- 1996
Cépage et assemblage
- Grape Variety
- 100% Pinot Noir
Domaine René Engel
Domaine René Engel was a family-run estate based in Vosne-Romanée, in the Côte de Nuits, whose vineyards included plots in Vosne-Romanée, Aux Brûlées, Échezeaux, Grands-Échezeaux and Clos de Vougeot. Following the death of Philippe Engel in 2005 – the last vintage bearing the estate’s name being the 2004 – the vineyards were acquired by the Pinault family in July 2006 and incorporated into the Domaine d’Eugénie. Domaine René Engel therefore no longer exists as an independent wine-producing estate.
Histoire du domaine
The estate was named after René Engel, a winegrower from Vosne-Romanée born in 1894, who studied at the Beaune School of Viticulture before developing the family estate. René Engel was also a professor of oenology for thirty-five years and helped found the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin. In 1949, he handed over the management of the estate to his son, Pierre Engel. Pierre Engel, who served as mayor of Vosne-Romanée from 1959 to 1971, fell ill during the 1970s and died in 1981. His son, Philippe Engel, then took over the estate with his mother at the age of 26. From 1988 onwards, the entire production was bottled at the estate, whereas previously a significant proportion had been sold to wine merchants. Philippe Engel ran the estate until his untimely death in 2005; the 2004 vintage was the last to be marketed under the name Domaine René Engel. In July 2006, the Pinault family acquired the estate and founded Domaine d’Eugénie on these vineyards. The successor estate is now managed by Jaeok Chu Cramette, but this role should not be attributed retrospectively to Domaine René Engel.
Clos de Vougeot
The Clos de Vougeot is a vast, single-piece vineyard enclosure, surrounded by walls and located at the foot of the Côte de Nuits slope, in the commune of Vougeot. Its terroir varies markedly from top to bottom: thin, gravelly soils on Bajocian limestone in the upper part, more clayey brown soils on limestone debris in the middle, and deeper, clayey and silty soils on a marly layer in the lower part. The site simultaneously constitutes a physically demarcated Burgundian climat and the emblematic parcel area of the AOC Grand Cru Clos de Vougeot or Clos Vougeot.
- Vineyard commune
- Vougeot
- Origin of the vineyard name
- "Clos" designates the vineyard historically enclosed by walls; "Vougeot" takes up the name of the place, linked to the Vouge which marks a historical boundary of the estate.
- Altitude
- 240–265 m
- Slope
- gentle, average of about 3.8%
- Soil
- At the top, shallow, granular soils rich in gravel; in the middle, shallow, more clayey brown soils on limestone debris; at the bottom, deeper brown soils rich in clay and fine silt.
- Subsoil and geology
- Jurassic complex; Bajocian limestone slab in the upper part, limestone debris in the middle, and marly layer in the lower part, with the influence of superficial formations linked to the outlet of the combe d'Orveau.
Le domaine dans cette parcelle
- Year the vineyard was acquired
- 1920
- Vineyard holding status
- Former owner; plot transferred with the estate in 2006
- Indicative vine age
- Described as very old vines; a large proportion were around 85 years old or older in 2005.
Histoire de la parcelle
The wine estate was gradually established by the Cistercian abbey of Cîteaux starting from the early 12th century; a medieval agreement set boundaries that have remained almost unchanged, and the wall was built before the end of that century. The farm buildings were developed from the 12th to the 15th century, then complemented in 1551 by the Renaissance residence that became the château du Clos de Vougeot. The abbey kept the estate until the Revolution; the buildings and vineyards were confiscated and then sold as national property in 1791, subsequently leading to the fragmentation of the property. The appellation d'origine contrôlée Clos de Vougeot or Clos Vougeot was recognized by decree on July 31, 1937.
