Additional Info

Etymology: This lieu-dit name is a feminine diminutive of the Burgundian patois word Vau, that is derived from the Latin VALLIS, meaning valley. It designates both the slightly hilly landscape of the vineyard and its position: below and near En Lavaux.

Source: The Climats and Lieux-Dits of the Great Vineyards of Burgundy, Marie-Hélène Landrieu-Lussigny.

Site: Les Vaudenelles is 2.7 hectares (6.6 acres). The vineyard sits at 300 to 320-meters elevation. It is perched atop a tall limestone wall that was part of an old quarry that is overgrown by lush green vegetation, including conifers and giant ferns —it appears to be straight out of The Land Before Time. It has a moderate to gentle slope and faces just slightly south of east.

Soils: The soils here are very thin to non-existent; outcroppings of the Ostrea acuminata bedrock are found at the top of the slope. The soils are very light, cream-orange in color, and though they are rich in clay, they also contain a significant amount of gravel and course sand. Bruno says vignerons often call this type of soil “rabbit earth” because the light texture makes it easy for rabbits to burrow into. Les Vaudenelles is indeed home to many families of rabbits. This light texture also means good drainage, but because it is at the top of the slope, Bruno notices that most of the water just runs off down the slope.

Geology: The upper portion of Les Vaudenelles sits on a bedrock of the Ostrea acuminata marl which gradationally transitions to fossiliferous Crinoidal limestone near the middle of the vineyard.

Clair parcel: The Clair family owns 1.6 hectares (3.9 acres). The vines were planted between 1969 to 1976.

The Wine: Les Vaudenelles is another one of Bruno Clair’s high altitude gems. It is the most delicate of his Marsannay lieux-dits and very much a child of its terroir and position. The shallow, light-colored soils produce a wine of fragrance rather than weight, and the altitude keeps it remarkably fresh. We suggest enjoying this wine young, as there is not much tannic structure. A bit of cellaring will reward you with more weight, but we love it young, light, and crunchy.

With many thanks to geologist Brenna Quigley for her illustration, and for putting the physical and geologic aspects of these vineyards into words far more meaningful than we could have written on our own. https://www.brennaquigley.com

We are also greatly indebted to geologist Françoise Vannier of Adama Terroirs Viticoles who created the soil and bedrock maps for Fixin that Brenna based part her work on. www.adama-terroirs.fr