Vougeot stands out from the other Cote de Nuits villages in two key regards. First, it is dominated almost entirely by a single Grand Cru site, leaving very little room for village-level or Premier Cru vineyards. This explains (in part) why there are just four Premier Cru sites here, compared to 25 in neighboring Chambolle-Musigny and 27 in Gevrey-Chambertin. Second, the village is exceptional for producing both red and white wines (one-third of Vougeot wine is white), in an area otherwise exclusively devoted to red. There is nothing remotely exceptional or unexpected, however, about the grape varieties behind these wines; the classic Burgundy wine grapes Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

White wines have been produced in Vougeot for nearly a thousand years, so they are not the result of any temporary fashion or passing phase. The Cistercian monks who originally planted vines around the village made white wines as far back as the early 12th century, although it is unlikely that they used Chardonnay as their key grape variety – as is the case today. The aptly named Clos Blanc (white close) Premier Cru site is the most notable source of the commune’s white wines, although the Les Cras climat also has some Chardonnay planted within its walls.

Apart from the 124-acre (50-ha) Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru climat, the local vineyards are classified as either Premier Cru or village. They are located in a neat cluster to the west of Vougeot village, bounded by the arrow-straight northern wall of the Clos, which runs due east–west for about half a mile.

In the same way that the reputation of the Echezeaux Grand Cru climat next door is diluted by its size, so the Clos de Vougeot suffers from being a site of mixed quality. This, combined with its non-conformist production of both red and white wines, has left Vougeot somewhat overshadowed by its Cote de Nuits neighbors.