Medieval Vineyard

Several of the most celebrated vineyard sites on the Amitié Wines list have histories stretching back to the medieval period — enclosed, named, and farmed by Cistercian monks centuries before the modern appellation system existed. The stone walls, the place names, and in some cases the vine rows themselves carry that history forward into every bottle.

Clos Vougeot — the most famous of these — was enclosed by Cistercian monks from the Abbey of Cîteaux in the 12th century. The same stone wall that the monks built still surrounds the vineyard today. The Marsannay lieu-dit Le Chapitre takes its name from the chapter house of the Cistercian order — monks who farmed these slopes above Dijon from the medieval period through the Revolution. The Clos du Roy in Marsannay appears in records from the 13th century as an enclosed vineyard belonging to the Dukes of Burgundy.

These are not just historical curiosities — they are vineyards that have been recognised as exceptional for eight centuries. The appellation system builds upon what the monks discovered.