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Is Clos de Tart for sale?

Speculation in the fine wine world is now at fever pitch that the famous Burgundian grand cru monopole, Clos de Tart, has apparently been sold.

The unconfirmed rumours have been making the rounds since early October but when approached recently by the drinks business Clos de Tart refused outright to comment – though it did not deny the speculation either.

The conjecture on social media and elsewhere is that the 7.5 hectare vineyard could be sold for close to €300 million, and all manner of famous names have been bandied around as potential buyers; from Champagne Louis Roederer to a “well known aircraft manufacturer” assumed to be Serge Dassault (who already owns vineyard properties in Bordeaux) and other luxury groups.

With the on-going global demand for top Burgundy there is no doubt that if a vineyard as prestigious as Clos de Tart appeared on the market it would command immediate interest and stupendous prices – prices well-above the already wince-inducing costs a single hectare of grand cru vineyard is estimated to cost in Burgundy.

Furthermore, after several years when the quality of Clos de Tart was sometimes called into question, the work of former winemaker Sylvain Pitiot has done a huge amount to restore the monopole’s reputation and track record.

Nonetheless, while any sale would probably mark the biggest transaction this year it would only be the latest in what has been an extraordinarily busy year on the market not just in Burgundy but Bordeaux too.

To begin with in the Côte d’Or, which is normally so closed to outsiders, a Swiss industrialist bought Domaine Jayer-Gilles this August while the biggest acquisition of the year was in January when US billionaire and Screaming Eagle-owner, Stan Kroenke, bought the prestigious Domaine Bonneau-Martray.

Over in the Gironde meanwhile, Troplong-Mondot and Phelan-Ségur were been sold this summer, just two of the most high-profile sales in the region, while the Chanel Group acquired its third estate in the region, Château Berliquet in Saint Emilion.

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