CLOS VOUGEOT. 



123 



part is by itself too dry and spirituous, and requires the 

 mixture from the lower part to give it body. The substra- 

 tum is in some places marl, and in other places decayed 

 ipourri) rock. The cultivation is much the same as de- 

 scribed for Chambertin. M. L'Ecrivain considers that 

 the vineyard is of the proper degree of fulness when the 

 plants are fifteen inches apart in every direction. In the 

 course of from 12 to 15 years all the plants in the vine- 

 yard will undergo the process of provignage, but the 

 winter before last appears, from all accounts, to have 

 injured the vines exceedingly, and they are every where 

 digging out many of them which have not recovered the 

 effects of the frost. M. Ouvrard, the proprietor of Clos 

 Vougeot, also possesses a portion of Chambertin, and it is 

 probable that to this circumstance the latter is indebted 

 for being brought into notice, for it appears to me in- 

 dubitable that it only requires similar treatment to make 

 a very large portion of the Cote d'Or produce wines equal 

 to those of Vougeot and Chambertin. But it requires a 

 large capital to effect this, and a knowledge of commerce 

 to make it profitable, and the smaller proprietors appear 

 in general to endeavour to make up by the quantity, for 

 what they sacrifice in the quality, of their wines. From 

 other accounts I am inclined to believe that the produce 

 of a vineyard planted with the game, and manured, as 

 stated to me at Dijon, viz. about 1000 gallons per English 

 acre, was not much exaggerated. After having received 

 from M. L'Ecrivain a small bundle of each of the kinds 

 of vines cultivated in the Clos Vougeot, and thanking him 

 for his kindness, I took my leave, and arrived at Dijon 

 at rather a late hour. 



Wednesday, 2\st December, Rheims. — After having 

 quitted the Cote d^'Or, the seat of the famous vineyards 



G 2 



