Dark ripe fruits that are rather distinguished. Very fine tannin, this is mineral and very intense. In a vintage like 09 I think I’d take this ahead of the Clos St.Denis.
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Clos de la Roche
1985 Remy Louis Clos de la Roche
Medium colour. The nose starts without incredible depth, rather it’s relatively wide with pretty layers of fresh fruit with a very faint spice accent in the background, slowly it becomes ever-more delicate and well-defined with wild strawberries and perhaps raspberry too – swirl and it is a more leathery effect – I really could sniff this all night! The freshest acidity of all these recent 1985s and clearly the most mineral too – some impression of violets in the mid-palate where it’s actually rather linear but with achingly long (if narrow) flavours that continue as long as your mouth keeps watering – which was quite a while. Remarkably pretty, but should there be a bit more Grand Cru depth and dimension? I suppose I’ll never find out if I just keep sniffing! On day two this has a little oxidation – unlike all the other 85s I opened – so it’s fragile as well as delicate. Drink up in the next couple of years seems to be the way forward…
1985 Remy Louis Clos de la Roche
Medium colour. The nose starts without incredible depth, rather it’s relatively wide with pretty layers of fresh fruit with a very faint spice accent in the background, slowly it becomes ever-more delicate and well-defined with wild strawberries and perhaps raspberry too – swirl and it is a more leathery effect – I really could sniff this all night! The freshest acidity of all these recent 1985s and clearly the most mineral too – some impression of violets in the mid-palate where it’s actually rather linear but with a achingly long (if narrow) flavours that continue as long as your mouth keeps watering – which was quite a while. Remarkably pretty, but should there be a bit more Grand Cru depth and dimension? I suppose I’ll never find out if I just keep sniffing! On day two this has a little oxidation – unlike all the other 85s I opened – so it’s fragile as well as delicate. Drink up in the next couple of years seems to be the way forward…
2000 Rousseau Armand Clos de la Roche
2008 Roche de Bellene Clos de la Roche
2008 Boisset Jean-Claude Clos de la Roche
1997 Rousseau Armand Clos de la Roche
Medium, medium-plus colour. From top to bottom this nose is impresses with quality dark red fruit, there is the faintest edge of something a bit looser – caramel and redcurrant – but overall this is super. In the mouth there is a silky density that drives rather too fast into the finish. Swirl it around over your tongue for longer and then the intensity builds, but with it comes some slightly bitter tannin. The finish holds much longer now but with a little of that bitterness. A bit of a monolith in the mid-palate, I’ll save some for tomorrow to see if it opens. Day two and the aromatics are more subdued though the palate is indeed a little more open. A good wine, even in the context of the vintage, but I’d still rather have the Ruchottes…
1999 Castagnier Guy Clos de la Roche
Medium-plus colour, still with some cherry-red in the mix. Deep, sweet beetroot, brown sugar and a dark red/black confiture fruit encasing a core of some minerality – the last drops in the glass show beautiful raised red fruits. Perfectly balanced acidity that keeps your mouth watering, yet the supporting sweetness ensures no sharpness. The finely-grained tannins are very-much fading into the background. Medium plus finish. A balanced and very pretty wine that is slowly adding some complexity and is very 99, but it’s not obviously grand cru – at least today – maybe more like a good 1er. That said, it was cheaper than many 1ers at the time of buying!
2006 Lignier Lucie et Auguste Clos de la Roche
A side-by-side comparison – neither holds all the aces. The L et A Lignier, though offering slightly less colour, is a clear winner in the aroma department – just a gorgeous expression of complex fruit – the Lignier-Michelot is good, but really can’t compete. Over the tongue, mirroring the extra colour, the Lignier-Michelot is a little more extracted and offers more ‘up-front’ oomph, from there-on it’s a long slow diminuendo. The L et A offers a different recipe; narrower on entry, bursting with mid-plate dimension and shows more length. No bad wines here, each offers a balanced performance and I’d certainly buy both again, but the relative proportions today would clearly be in favour of Lucie and Auguste’s bottle.