Domaine des Lambrays

A mythical, centuries-old estate

The origins of the estate go back a very long way: the first written traces of it can be found in parish registers from the abbey of Cîteaux. Legend has it that it was created by the Lambray brothers, who came from Haute-Saône. But at the time, unless they belonged to the Clergy (like their neighbors Clos de Tart and Clos de Beze) and kept accurate records, there was very little documentation.

We're not sure what happened to the estate until after the French Revolution. In 1789, after the redistribution of property between the Clergy, the Nobility, and the Third Estate, the Clos was divided between 74 owners.

A little over a century later, the Joly and Rodier families, then merchants in the region, began buying up all the other owners' shares one by one. This brought the number of owners to 53, then 12, then just a few. Until 1938, the estate remained in the hands of the Rodier family, Camille being one of the main architects of its success. In the hands of the new owners, with their unsuitable antique methods, it fell into oblivion.

Prestige restored at last

The estate only really rose from the ashes thanks to the hard work of Thierry Brouin, who took up his post as winemaker-oenologist in 1980. He embarked on a major project to rehabilitate the vineyard: uprooting, replanting, natural soil treatments: nothing was left to chance. In just a few years, he restored Clos des Lambrays to its former glory, and enabled it to obtain AOC Grand Cru status in 1981.

Acquired by LVMH in 2014, the estate now has a virtual monopoly on the Grand Cru. Indeed, the small neighboring Taupenot-Merme estate resists repeated offers to buy back the only ouvrée (420m2) they own among the almost 9 ha that make up the Clos.

A Clos, a terroir, a grape variety

"When we speak of Climat in Burgundy, we don't raise our eyes to heaven, we lower them to earth" (B. Pivot): the Clos is one in its own right. Indeed, clos means walls, and these walls confer a very specific micro-climate on the vineyard. Entirely planted with Pinot Noir, it produces absolutely exceptional wines. They come in three different appellations: Grand Cru Clos des Lambrays, Premier Cru Morey-Saint-Denis and appellation communale Morey-Saint-Denis. Domaine des Lambrays also produces white (Chardonnay) AOC Puligny-Montrachet, climats les Folatières and Clos du Cailleret, both classified 1e Cru.

Both white and red, they simply offer the best of Burgundy: racy, elegant, perfectly balanced wines with great ageing potential: the oldest bottle on the estate dates back to 1918!