A term used primarily in French Burgundy (clos = closed, clôture = enclosure) for a vineyard or site, but also for wineries that own such a site. As a rule, this is a reference to an enclosure with a wall, although this may no longer exist or may never have existed. In the Middle Ages, Clos was a general term for a vineyard. Many such vineyards were walled in by the Cistercians in the Middle Ages as protection from animals and the weather. Actual walled vineyards include Clos de Vougeot (some of which are still walled today) and Clos des Lambrays in the Côte d'Or area.
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Dr. Christa Hanten
Fachjournalistin, Lektorin und Verkosterin, Wien