Wine Advisor
Jacques Prieur, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru 2016
View analysis
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2016 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru was bitten by the frost so that from 1.5 hectares, only ten barrels were produced. It includes 70% whole bunches. It has a delightful, clean and precise bouquet that opens up with black cherries, violet, hints of blueberry and a subtle mineral undertow. The palate is medium-bodied with chalky tannin, nicely focused with impressive structure that lends this a more masculine personality than some of its peers. Very fine, classic Clos de Vougeot that is almost as good as the 2015.
Reviewed by: William Kelley
The 2016 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru is also quite youthfully reserved, reluctantly revealing reticent aromas of earthy cassis and spices that's framed by a nicely integrated but generous application of new oak. On the palate, it's full-bodied, ample and chewy, with a broad and chunky attack, a rich chassis of tannins and bright acids, concluding with a firm, somewhat angular finish. While the wine's equilibrium appears to have been impacted by the frost, the raw materials are sufficiently promising that I suspect time will be kind to it and round out its hard edges.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(at 13% potential alcohol, this cuvée was the highest in octane in 2016 and was not chaptalized; these vines were affected by frost--the yield was 24 hectoliters per hectare--but not to the same extent as the estate's Echézeaux and Musigny): Dark red with ruby tones. Captivating, ripe, soil-driven nose shows savory mineral and spice nuances. Silky on entry, then fine-grained and elegant in the middle palate, with nothing hard or rustic about it. Cherry and redcurrant fruit flavors are complicated by saline mineral notes and a suggestion of anise. Finishes with full, mounting, harmonious tannins and lovely energy and length. Very classic Clos Vougeot
About the Producer
HISTORY Domaine Jacques Prieur's mythical story started on February 24th, 1868, with the wedding, in Bligny-les-Beaune, of Claude Duvergey (22 years old) and Marie Taboureau (19 years old). Marie was born in Bligny in 1848 and Claude in Meursault in 1845. Their parents were winegrowers. Claude founded the Duvergey-Taboureau House and thrived in the wine and spirit trade, without investing directly, at first, in viticulture. In 1879, he acquired the property of "Les Herbeux" in Meursault, current heart of Domaine Jacques Prieur... and started buying vineyards. He then made a risky bet with the arrival of the terrible phylloxera in Côte d'Or. However, his choices would finally make him a visionary thanks to the use of American plants as cure. In 1889 he acquired the famous Clos de Mazeray Monopole (Meursault), a parcel of Volnay Santenots, 4.5 ha (11 ac) of Clos Vougeot and 2 lots in Chambolle-Musigny. In 1890 he became the sole owner of the prestigious Clos des Santenots in Volnay, 1.5 ha (3.7 ac) of Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes and 0.45 ha (1.1 ac) of the mythical Montrachet (notably supplemented by the "Dent de Chien" parcels in 1891 and 1892). He then ran his trade business in the Château de Bligny bought in 1890 for his wife. Without any direct heir, both spouses would turn to the Taboureau family side. Thus they married in 1891 Hélène Taboureau (Marie's niece) and a well-born young man from Beaune, Henri Prieur (itinerant salesman). They benefited from a very advantageous marriage contract including some goods but especially the promise of a profit-sharing in the Duvergey-Taboureau's trade. Jacques Prieur was born on January 31st, 1893, from the union of Hélène and Henri. The estate kept growing in 1895 with a new acquisition in Musigny and a swap between a plot of Clos Vougeot and parcels of Chambertin and Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. In 1899, Claude Duvergey added Volnay Champans to its collection and in 1907, Chevalier-Montrachet. He died on March 9th, 1920, and bequeathed all of his property to Jacques Prieur (his wife remaining stakeholder). Soon after, the latter married Madeleine Darnat, daughter of sheets merchants from Lyon. In 1924, Jacques Prieur and comte Jules Lafon instituted the famous "Paulée de Meursault" in order to celebrate the end of harvests with all winegrowers from the village. Marie Duvergey-Taboureau died in 1935 and definitely left the estate to Jacques Prieur. Co-founder of the legendary Chevaliers du Tastevin, he gave his name to the estate in 1956. He died in 1965 and his wife in 1974, leaving the winery to their 6 children. In 1988, in order to avoid selling the winery to foreign shareholders, 5 important French families united, among them Labruyère Family, winegrowers and entrepreneurs from South Burgundy. In the 1990s the Grands Crus of Corton-Bressandes and Corton-Charlemagne would enrich the mosaic of terroirs of the estate. Today leading this jewel of Burgundy, Labruyère Family, supported by Prieur Family's heirs, promotes and defends, every single day, the great terroirs of Burgundy, worldwide
