Le Clos des Rois

Le Clos des Rois sits within the commune of Sampigny-lès-Maranges at the far southern end of the Côte de Beaune. The Maranges appellation, established in 1988 and 1989, encompasses three villages: Sampigny-lès-Maranges, Dezize-lès-Maranges, and Cheilly-lès-Maranges. Le Clos des Rois is one of seven Premier Cru climats recognised within Maranges, and at just 0.85 hectares it represents a tiny parcel even by Burgundian standards. Its classification as a walled vineyard, or clos, marks it as a historically defined and enclosed site.

• One of 7 Premier Cru climats within the Maranges appellation
• Situated in Sampigny-lès-Maranges, the southernmost of the three Maranges communes
• Maranges is the southernmost appellation of the Côte de Beaune
• Enclosed by walls, designating it as a clos

The vineyard climbs between 258 and 288 metres in elevation, with a south-southwest aspect that maximises sun exposure in this cooler, more continental end of the Côte de Beaune. The climate is oceanic overall, but the southerly orientation compensates by delivering consistent ripening conditions for Pinot Noir. Soils are thin, reaching only about 20 centimetres in depth, and sit directly over limestone bedrock. The composition blends brown limestone soils with limey marls, providing excellent drainage and the mineral tension characteristic of Maranges Premier Cru wines.

• Elevation: 258 to 288 metres above sea level
• South-southwest aspect promotes full sun exposure and steady grape ripening
• Soil depth is just 20cm over limestone bedrock
• Brown limestone soils and limey marls deliver structure and mineral character

The name Le Clos des Rois invites a romantic assumption of royal connections, but the etymology is rooted in practical agricultural language. The word 'rois' derives from the Gaulish term 'roie,' meaning sillon or furrow, a reference to the ploughed rows of the vineyard rather than any noble ownership. This kind of linguistic evolution is common across Burgundy, where place names preserve traces of pre-Roman and early medieval land use. The clos designation reflects the vineyard's enclosed, walled perimeter, a feature that historically signalled deliberate delineation and careful husbandry.

• 'Rois' derives from Gaulish 'roie,' meaning furrow, not from royal lineage
• Walled enclosure qualifies the vineyard as a clos
• Maranges appellation was officially established in 1988 and 1989
• The name preserves an ancient reference to agricultural land use

Le Clos des Rois produces red wine exclusively from Pinot Noir. The wines are structured and benefit from cellaring, displaying fresh cherry aromas alongside the mineral underpinning that the shallow limestone soils consistently deliver. The elegant character of the wine fits within the broader Maranges Premier Cru profile: less immediately plush than wines from the Côte de Nuits, but rewarding with time in bottle. Notable producers working the climat include Nicolas Perrault, Bernard Regnaudot, and Aegerter, each bringing their own interpretation to this small but distinctive parcel.

• Pinot Noir is the sole grape variety planted
• Style: structured red with fresh cherry aromas and an elegant, age-worthy profile
• Producers: Nicolas Perrault, Bernard Regnaudot, and Aegerter
• Wines benefit from cellaring to develop complexity beyond their fruit-forward youth