Anatomy of a Ghost Domaine: Clair-Daü

Ghosts in the Grand Crus

In Burgundy, when a domaine dies, it doesn’t disappear—it dissolves into the vines, the labels, the legacy. Few ghosts haunt more prestigious soil than Domaine Clair-Daü, a now-extinct empire that once ruled some of the most coveted real estate in the Côte de Nuits.

This is the second installment in our Ghost Domaine series, and today we’re examining how Clair-Daü—once the largest landholder in Chambertin Clos de Bèze—collapsed not by market forces, but by succession.

The Domaine That Once Was

Clair-Daü was founded in 1919 by Joseph Clair and Marguerite Daü, uniting two local families with deep roots in Marsannay and Gevrey-Chambertin. Over the next six decades, the domaine assembled one of the most extraordinary portfolios in Burgundy, totaling nearly 30 hectares.

Notable holdings with documented detail include:

• Chambertin Clos de Bèze Grand Cru

~0.98 hectares, including vines planted in 1912 and 1972. This was one of the crown jewels of the domaine and arguably its most iconic wine.

• Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses

0.12 hectares

Other major—but less precisely documented—Clair-Daü holdings included:

• Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru

• Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers

• Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St-Jacques

• Marsannay village vineyards

• Morey-Saint-Denis village holdings

The Seeds of Collapse

The death of Joseph Clair in 1971 triggered a slow, internecine collapse. Joseph had three children: Bernard, Noëlle, and Monique. After his passing, Bernard took over the management of the estate. 

However, tensions arose among the siblings. Bernard aimed to reinvest profits into the vineyard and cellar to maintain the estate’s reputation, while his sisters preferred to liquidate their shares for immediate financial gain.  These differing visions led to a protracted family feud, resulting in the division and eventual sale of the estate’s holdings. Over the course of the late 1970s and early 1980s, protracted legal battles tore the estate in half. No succession plan. No partnership agreement. Just blood, bitterness, and binding contracts.

Production halted. Wines sat aging in barrels with no labels. The vineyard was dormant, not because of phylloxera or mildew—but because the family couldn’t agree on what came next.

By 1985, a court-ordered dismantling was the only path forward. Domaine Clair-Daü was dead.

The Fracturing of Greatness

What followed was one of the most significant land redistributions in modern Burgundy.

Bruno Clair

In 1979, well before the dissolution, Bruno Clair founded his own estate. But it was the 1985 split that allowed him to rebuild from the family’s crown jewels. From his father Bernard’s portion, Bruno inherited:

• Chambertin Clos de Bèze Grand Cru – 0.9802 ha

• Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru – 1.67 ha

• Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint-Jacques – 1.0 ha

• Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers – 0.75 ha

Monique Bart

Monique Bart spun her share of the domaine into what is now Domaine Bart, a respected, quietly ascending label based in Marsannay. While less is publicly known about the precise parcels inherited, Domaine Bart’s modern portfolio still includes several ex-Clair-Daü Marsannay lieux-dits, such as:

• Clos du Roy

• Les Grands Vignes

• Les Longeroies

Bart’s wines today are some of the best value plays in northern Côte de Nuits—but they owe their land to the Clair-Daü dissolution.

Noëlle Vernet

Noëlle chose a different path: liquidation. In 1985, she sold her share—an estimated 18 hectares—to Maison Louis Jadot. This move became one of the most strategically significant acquisitions in modern Burgundy history.

Jadot’s haul included parcels from:

• Clos Saint-Jacques

• Les Amoureuses

• Chapelle-Chambertin

• Clos de Bèze

• Bonnes-Mares

• Musigny

It was a power move that expanded Jadot’s footprint in elite terroir and positioned them for a new era of high-end, domaine-sourced Burgundy.

The Ripple Effect – Rousseau, Fourrier, Faiveley

Not all of Clair-Daü’s parcels stayed with immediate heirs or Jadot. Several additional transactions—quiet, strategic, and often private—shaped the topography of modern Burgundy.

Domaine Armand Rousseau acquired:

• Clos Saint-Jacques – 2.21 hectares

Already a titan in Gevrey, Rousseau’s expansion into more of Clos Saint-Jacques sealed their dominance in the Premier Cru hierarchy.

Domaine Fourrier secured:

• Clos Saint-Jacques – 1 hectare

This parcel became Fourrier’s crown jewel—instrumental in its rise from traditionalist stalwart to critical darling.

Domaine Faiveley is believed to have purchased additional Côte de Nuits holdings from the breakup, including parcels within or adjacent to top Grands Crus like Clos de Bèze, though exact hectare data is scarce. Today, Faiveley’s elite bottlings such as Clos de Bèze ‘Les Ouvrées Rodin’ trace part of their provenance to this pivotal reshuffling.

What the Market Remembers

There is no Clair-Daü label today, but to collectors, the name still carries mystique.

• 1978 Clos de Bèze is considered the swan song—massive, wild, and unforgettable. Bottles now trade between $1,500 and $2,000, when found in pristine condition.

• 1971 Bonnes-Mares or Cazetiers are cult rarities, sometimes appearing in vertical auctions.

• Even simple Marsannay bottlings with the Clair-Daü label are now chased for their historic cachet.

I’ve only been lucky enough to try a couple of pristine bottles, but wines are unmistakably old-school Burgundy: sauvage, meaty, structured. Not perfect. But authentic—and powerful.

Lessons from a Ghost

Clair-Daü didn’t fall because of taxes.

It fell because it had disagreement amongst the heirs for succession.

It was a domaine too big to fail—and it failed anyway.

What’s remarkable is that the land still sings. Clos de Bèze under Bruno Clair. Les Amoureuses under Jadot. Clos Saint-Jacques under Rousseau and Fourrier. The vines are thriving, but the identity is gone.

Clair-Daü was never resurrected. And its implosion became a cautionary tale in Burgundy estate law.