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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The glossary is a monumental achievement and one of the most important contributions to wine knowledge. Of all the encyclopaedias I use on the subject of wine, it is by far the most important. That was the case ten years ago and it hasn't changed since.
Andreas Essl
Autor, Modena