Domaine Yvon Clerget

With roots in the village of Volnay dating back to the XIII century, the Clerget family has had the luxury of time to help select their vineyard plots from generation to generation. Over the last five years, the Domaine was somewhat dormant as the vineyards were managed by Henri Boillot and bottled under his label. Today, it comprises six hectares of the finest Volnay land as well as that of Meursault, Pommard and Clos Vougeot. Thibaud Clerget has taken over the Domaine and, at the age of 24, has begun the rejuvenation of one of the great Burgundian estates. His wines are delicate, vibrant and show their tremendous pedigree.

The Clerget family can trace its lineage back to 1268, in the midst of the crusades. It is believed that crusaders brought back Chardonnay grapes from Jerusalem. From this date onwards, the Clergets have worked hard, gaining recognition for the quality of their wines. Strong believers that vineyards are not born equal, they started to isolate the best plots of the Côte de Beaune and to buy pieces little by little, especially in Volnay, home the most refined Pinot Noirs. In 1936, the family bought a very special and small plot of premier cru called “Clos du Verseuil”, located just next to the magnificent “Taille Pieds” premier cru. They are the sole owners of this climat of 0.68 hectares. In 1945, Jean Clerget took over the vineyards at the end of World War II. Jean got married in 1948 to Edith Bon in Paris and they gave birth to Yvon Félix in Beaune in 1949.

Yvon studied at the Beaune Wine University, worked alongside his father for a few years and then accepted a job for another winery in Switzerland in 1973. Thereafter, his mother Edith took over the reins with the quality of the wines always at hear, such that she only bottled particularly good vintages. It’s in 1975 that Yvon Félix returned and fully took over the Domaine in 1983. After twenty-six vintages under his belt, Yvon decided to sell the grapes to wine merchants. The idea was that eventually, his son Thibaud would take over the reins at the Domaine.

Thibaud went to the Beaune Wine University, the best wine school in the region in order to learn all things wine and get himself ready to take over the family business. However, to further increase his knowledge he worked at Domaine Hudelot-Noellat in 2012 and 2013 in the vineyard and during the wine making process. In 2013, Thibaud travelled to New Zealand and worked at Giesen winery and in 2014 at Domaine Drouhin in Oregon, USA. These experiences opened up Thibaud’s eyes to the expression of the different terroirs* as well as the importance of the identity of a wine.