The very first reference to « Clos des Lambrays » traces back to the fourteenth century. Archives of the Abbey of Cîteaux reveal its founding around 1365. An engraved milestone, still in its original location, commemorates the founding. After the French Revolution, the Clos became extremely fragmented. Based on the archives and maps of the vines owned by the Domaine, the survival and recomposition of the fragments of the Clos des Lambrays was due in large part to the strong vision and willpower of its different owners during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
In 1936, when the first appellations d’origine are issued, the Clos des Lambrays was listed as a Premier Cru However, this proved to be a misnomer as the wine was always considered to be a Grand Cru by experts.
During the 1930s through the 1980s, the Rodier family’s determination helped the Clos des Lambrays recover its official Grand Cru status, a status it had always held de facto. And a status which wine lovers had always recognized. Finally, in 1981, it received official status after the French National Institute in charge of Appellations d’Origine to decree the Clos des Lambrays as the 33rd Grands Crus of Bourgogne.
Since 1979, the Clos des Lambrays has been blessed with both a succession of passionate vinticulters and good fortune. First Mr Louis and Fabien Saier along with Mr Rolland Pelletier de Chambure and then the Freunds, since 1996, have kept the property in pristine condition. In 2014, the property, identified as one of the jewels of Bourgogne, was acquired by the LVMH Group.
