Christian Clerget
Christian Clerget and his wife Isabelle are about as hands-on as you can get when it comes to their wines. They live within the heart of their vineyard, in harmony with their land, which they consider as an extension of their garden. They know each leaf by heart and go to great lengths to respect each vine in order to produce the best wine: that which offers the truest expression of this land, without ever deceiving nature.
The estate’s origins date back to the beginning of the 20th century when the great-grandparents of Christian Clerget procured various parcels of vines in the villages of Chambolle, Vougeot, and Morey St-Denis. It was known in the 1980s and 1990s as Domaine Georges Clerget, named for Christian’s father. Christian took over in 1996 and built a new winery in 1998 as a first step to taking the domaine to its present level of quality.
Christian Clerget’s six hectares are concentrated around the estate’s fermentation cellar in Vougeot. The estate has seen four generations of winegrowers in their vineyards of Chambolle-Musigny, Morey-St-Denis, Vougeot, and Vosne-Romanée, where Pinot Noir grapes reach the pinnacle of their glory.
Christian’s vision is to produce the purest, most natural wines possible. The land is worked by hand, believing that balance in the vineyard will help lead to balanced wines. He plows all of his vines at the end of winter and lightly tills during the growing season so as to allow the grass to grow naturally between the rows. Christian places great confidence in his long-standing team of harvesters who know the vines and ensure that only perfectly ripe fruit is picked by hand.
The Clergets conduct all the processes right up to bottling, which takes place on the estate. They remain lovingly attentive, allowing each vintage the time it needs to express itself fully. The result is fantastic wines that are highly regarded and coveted by critics and collectors alike. We think you’ll soon consider yourself amongst that group too!
We hope you will join us for l’Eté du Vin to meet Christian and learn more about the wines of Domaine Christian Clerget.