In Burgundy, a great name is rarely accidental. Beaune’s Clos du Roi—“the King’s Clos”—carries a particularly vivid historical charge: the vineyard was associated with the Dukes of Burgundy until the death of Charles the Bold in 1477 gave King Louis XI the opportunity to annex it for the French crown. Nearly five centuries later, on October 14, 1943, Clos du Roi was formally recognized among Beaune’s Premier Cru climats. Today it remains a small, roughly 13-hectare site on Beaune’s northern flank, prized for wines of aromatic refinement and mineral poise rather than raw power. Its roster of bottlers includes benchmark names like Tollot-Beaut, Chanson, and Bouchard Père & Fils, but Domaine Besancenot offers a far rarer, grower-scale view: the family farms just 0.42 hectares—barely more than an acre—of this royal vineyard.

Besancenot has been rooted in Beaune since 1850, now six generations deep, with an unusually intimate command of the town’s best Premier Cru geography. Their 2023 Clos du Roi is a beautiful expression of the domaine’s quietly traditional approach and the vintage’s open-knit charm: wild strawberry, red and black cherry, cassis, rose petal, sandalwood, and warm earth, all delivered with a silken texture and a stony, savory finish. This is not the broadest or most extracted expression of Beaune; it is a wine of finesse over force, whose authority comes through fragrance, line, and powder-fine tannin. The generous fruit of 2023 makes it immediately seductive, while the site’s northerly position and the domaine’s upper-sector parcel preserve the lift and structure to reward patience over the coming decade.

Why You’ll Love It

• A historic, royal-named Beaune Premier Cru from Clos du Roi, one of the Côte de Beaune’s most resonant vineyard addresses, with lineage reaching back to Louis XI’s 1477 annexation.

• An authentic sixth-generation grower bottling from a tiny 0.42-hectare estate parcel—just over 3% of the entire Clos du Roi climat—rather than a broad négociant blend.

• All the distinction of fine Beaune Pinot: floral red fruit, dark-cherry depth, subtle spice, savory mineral detail, and silky tannins that favor elegance and length over weight.

How To Serve It

• Serve lightly cool, at 58–62°F, in a large Burgundy glass to emphasize the wine’s floral perfume and silky texture.

• If opening now, give it 45–60 minutes in a decanter or a broad glass; the air will bring out its cherry fruit, sandalwood, and stony, savory detail.

• Pair it with duck breast, roast chicken with mushrooms, guinea hen, pork tenderloin, seared salmon, mushroom risotto, or aged Comté—dishes with enough savory depth to meet the wine without overwhelming its finesse.