The Clos de Tart we know today was acquired in 1141 by the Cistercian nunnery of Nôtre-Dame de Tart. Clos de Tart is a 7.5-hectare monopole vineyard located above and to the west of the village of Morey, a stone’s throw from the border of Chambolle Musigny. In fact—to indicate how blurry the lines can become between communes and vineyards—the Clos not only abuts Bonnes Mares, but it also had a portion incorporated when the Clos de Tart AOC was created in 1939. Staggeringly, since its inception, the Clos has only had four owners, with the previous caretakers, the Mommessin family, having acquired the vineyard in the 1930s.

Clos de Tart is one of the greatest terroirs of the Côte d’Or, and since Sylvain Pitiot took over as manager in the late ‘90s, this site has produced, year-on-year, one of Burgundy’s most consistently outstanding Grand Cru wines. The average age of the vines is 60 years, with some parcels now over 100 years old. Organic growing methods are the rule here (now certified), and renowned soil scientist Claude Bourguignon consults. 

This historic site is a genuine clos (walled vineyard), surrounded by a 15th-century stone wall. The vines have been planted in north-south rows perpendicular to the slope to combat erosion. This planting orientation is found in only around one percent of Burgundy’s vineyards.

Although the clos has a regular, east-to-southeast aspect, the geology is very complex, with six different expressions of limestone found across the vineyard—calcaires à entroques, white marl and hard Premeaux limestone being the most prominent. The vineyard is segmented into geological sections, and each parcel is picked and fermented separately. The resulting wines—some destemmed, others with varying percentages of whole bunches—are assembled after maturation, assuming they reach the estate’s exacting standards. 

Stepping into the shoes of long-time Clos de Tart régisseur Sylvain Pitiot (1996 to 2015) and Jacques Devauges after him, Alessandro Noli was drafted in as the new regisseur of Clos de Tart in March 2019. This appointment followed the acquisition of the domaine in 2017 by François Pinault’s Groupe Artémis. Noli arrived in Morey having done a staggering job in resuscitating the monopole Rhône jewel, Château Grillet. 

This progressive winemaker is moving the style of wine produced here towards ever greater precision and finesse. The handling is now considerably gentler, utilising foot treading, and Noli has significantly reduced the level of new oak in the maturation of the Clos de Tart and its second wine La Forge de Tart. Furthermore, he has introduced a new vertical press, and the cuverie is now decked out with 15 bespoke, tronconique wooden vats of varying sizes (ranging from 20 to 40 hectolitres), each designed to correspond to a particular plot of the Clos. 

Today, the vineyard is segmented into 12 parcels, and to distinguish the specific qualities of each micro-terroir within the clos, they are fermented separately. This segmentation is based on four principal criteria: soil composition (more or less limestone or marl); the source and quality of the plant material (massale selection or clones); the type of pruning (Guyot or cordon); and the age of the vines. Noli concedes that the new classification will require more work, although he is convinced this will pay dividends. Few would bet against him.