Domaine Clos de la Chapelle

Overview

Domaine Clos de la Chapelle is owned by Mark O’Connell and is based in Bligny-lès-Beaune. In a short time it has become one of the finest domaines in the Côte de Beaune. The flagship wine is a monopole premier cru in Volnay — the Clos de la Chapelle itself — lying just below Lafarge’s Clos du Château des Ducs. Mark O’Connell also sources from Corton grand cru, Pommard premier crus, Beaune premier crus, and (since 2022) Meursault and Pernand-Vergelesses. John Gilman regards the 2022 vintage as “the finest set of wines he has yet produced at this fine new domaine” and compares it in quality to the 1999 Burgundy vintage.

Appellations

• Volnay — monopole Clos de la Chapelle; Taillepieds VV; En Carelle; Santenots du Milieu (new 2022); Premier Cru (younger-vine Taillepieds)
• Pommard — Grands Épenots; Chanlins Très VV; Rue au Port Vignes Centenaires (new 2022, vines planted 1919)
• Beaune — Champs Pimont; Les Teurons; Les Reversées (blanc)
• Corton — Bressandes (50+ year-old vines); Corton-Charlemagne; Corton-Charlemagne “Cuvée Exceptionelle” (extra-barrel-aged, new from 2021)
• Pernand-Vergelesses — “Sous Frétille” premier cru (13 ares, 30yo vines)
• Meursault — “Cuvée Confluence” (blend of En Marcausse + Les Vignes Blanches); Les Vignes Blanches (1948 vines); “Charmes” Dessous (1948 vines, 12.5 ares) — all new in 2022

Key Wines

• Volnay “Clos de la Chapelle” — monopole flagship; consistently one of the finest Volnay expressions; 2022 may be finest yet
• Volnay “Taillepieds” Vieilles Vignes — 50–60 year-old vines; among the finest Taillepieds produced anywhere; “reference point example” per Gilman
• Corton “Bressandes” — 50+ year-old vines at peak power
• Pommard “Grands Épenots” — “one of the finest examples of this premier cru” per Gilman
• Pommard “Chanlins” Très VV — very old vines; excellent in 2022
• Corton-Charlemagne “Cuvée Exceptionelle” — single barrel given an additional year in used cask; first vintage 2021 released alongside 2022s
• Meursault “Charmes” — debut 2022; Charmes Dessous sector, 1948 vines (12.5 ares)

Style Notes

Wines of consistent purity, soil transparency, and fine-grained tannin structure. Gilman finds similarities with the 1999 Burgundy vintage in the 2022s: ripe, generous but with good structural bones. Reds typically come in at 13–13.5% alcohol in warmer vintages. Corton-Charlemagne “Cuvée Exceptionelle” is an interesting experiment in extended barrel aging — shows more oak integration and approachability relative to the regular bottling at equivalent age. The Meursault “Charmes” parcel in Charmes Dessous (slightly deeper soils) was deliberately chosen for resilience in an era of global warming.

2022 Vintage Notes

First published VFTC #110 (March-April 2024). Mark O’Connell finds analogies to 1999. Wines sent to Gilman in New York as pre-release samples (Gilman was unable to travel to Burgundy in late 2023 following a pulmonary embolism). The 2022 vintage features several new cuvées: Pommard Rue au Port, Meursault Cuvée Confluence, Meursault Les Vignes Blanches, Meursault Charmes, Volnay Santenots du Milieu.

Whites:

• 2022 Beaune “Les Reversées” Blanc — 91 (2027–2045)
• 2022 Meursault “Cuvée Confluence” — 90+ (2024–2045); generous, succulent; blend of En Marcausse and Vignes Blanches
• 2022 Meursault “Les Vignes Blanches” — 91 (2024–2045); 1948 vines; classic pear/hazelnut/minerality Meursault profile
• 2022 Meursault “Charmes” — 94 (2024–2060); debut vintage; “great new addition”; three barrels; chalky, elegant, gorgeous
• 2022 Pernand-Vergelesses “Sous Frétille” — 93 (2026–2050); bottled reductively; needs time
• 2022 Corton-Charlemagne — 94 (2030–2065); precise, transparent, apple/pear/almond/stony soil; stellar but needs age
• 2021 Corton-Charlemagne “Cuvée Exceptionelle” — 94 (2024–2055); extra year in used cask; more approachable than regular 2021 at same age; browned butter, hazelnut, chalky soil

Reds:

• 2022 Beaune “Champs Pimont” — 91 (2032–2085); 14% alcohol; deep, sappy, plummy
• 2022 Beaune “Les Teurons” — 92 (no window listed); pure, black fruity, raw cocoa; tightly-knit and precise
• 2022 Volnay “Premier Cru” (young-vine Taillepieds) — 92+ (2030–2065+); stunning purity; gorgeous, relatively youthful drinking window
• 2022 Volnay “En Carelle” — 92+ (2035–2075+); 45yo vines; dark berries, cassis, Caillerets-like spice; beautifully transparent
• 2022 Volnay “Santenots du Milieu” — 93 (2032–2075+); debut vintage; dark berries, black plums, gamebird; “fine, fine bottle”
• 2022 Volnay “Taillepieds” VV — 95 (2035–2085); 50–60yo vines; cassis, spit-roasted pigeon, coffee bean, dark soil; 13% alcohol; “magnificent bottle of Volnay”
• 2022 Volnay “Clos de la Chapelle” — 95 (2035–2085); monopole flagship; “may well be the finest Mark has yet crafted”; red plums, black cherries, pomegranate, violets, peonies; 13% alcohol; demands cellaring
• 2022 Pommard “Rue au Port” VV Centenaires — 91 (2034–2080); debut; 100+ year-old vines; elegant for young Pommard
• 2022 Pommard “Grands Épenots” — 93+ (2037–2085); precise, elegant, terroir-driven; add cellaring time and “great Grands Épenots for the next fifty years”
• 2022 Pommard “Chanlins” Très VV — 94 (2037–2085); 13.5%; red plums, black cherries, woodsmoke, coffee bean, whole-cluster spice, peonies; proper young Pommard
• 2022 Corton “Bressandes” — 95 (2039–2090+); 50+ year-old vines; “stunning young Corton”; red/black cherries, grilled venison, stony soil, whole clusters, bonfire; properly structured; demands cellaring

2023 Vintage Notes

Visited January 2025. Full range produced in the generous 2023 vintage. All Volnay monopole (Clos de la Chapelle), Taillepieds VV, Corton Bressandes, Grands Épenots, and Beaune premier crus produced. The 2023s showed the vintage’s characteristic richness combined with O’Connell’s precise, soil-driven style.

2024 Vintage Notes

Visited January 2026.

My Tastings

(none yet)

Sources

• sources/articles/VFTC/VFTC Jan-Feb 2025 #115.txt
• sources/articles/VFTC/VFTC Jan-Feb 2026 #121.pdf
• sources/articles/VFTC/VFTC March-April 2024 #110.txt — Pages 22–29: first report on 2022 vintage; full set of 2022 tasting notes; new cuvées introduced in 2022; Gilman rates 2022 as finest vintage to date at the domaine