Burgundy Wines

wines

All the superb and dramatic complexity that this displayed from barrel has made it into bottle as an extremely ripe and fantastically broad nose soars from the glass, merging seamlessly into dense, pure rich and powerful flavors that are opulent, sweet and dripping with so much extract and sap that the combination stains and saturates the palate on the hugely proportioned yet impeccably balanced finish that is so long that it doesn’t seem possible. Given how many reference standard vintages Domaine Ponsot has produced of the Clos de la Roche over the years, it would be presumptuous to anoint this as the best ever but if it isn’t, it will certainly take its rightful place among the very greatest. In sum, a ’wow’ wine that makes you shake your head in sheer amazement. However be aware that this is a buy and forget wine as it will require at least 15 years to shed its considerable tannins and it will see 50 years without difficulty.Burghound | 99 BH(racked three days before my visit) Full ruby-red. Knockout nose melds black cherry, violet, licorice and brown spices; this is wild yet aristocratic in a Chambertin way. Densely packed, silky and incredibly intense, with palate-saturating flavors of black cherry, spices, minerals and bitter chocolate. As remarkably rich as this is (it’s carrying 15% alcohol, according to Ponsot), there’s no impression of undue weight. This is old-vines Clos de la Roche in all its savage splendor. Endless finish. Should make a cellar treasure.Vinous Media | 95-99 VMThe estate’s flagship 2005 Clos de la Roche Cuvee Vieilles Vignes surges from the glass in an aromatic tidal wave of liqueur-like black raspberry essence, cinnamon spice, praline, chocolate and heady floral sweetness. Incontrovertibly fat and full, not about clarity or discretion but rather about thick, sumptuous layers of flavor that blanket the palate, this will not be every taster’s idea of a great Burgundy – or perhaps even a good time. Still, there is lift, bright juiciness and a sense of emerging elegance in a finish where sheer intensity and unabashed richness rule but neither the fruit nor tannins are the least bit coarse, and stony, chalky underpinnings break the surface with their own sort of austere beauty. (Thankfully, there is roughly ten times the amount of this wine as of Clos St.-Denis.)Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96-98 RP(Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche “Vieilles Vignes”) The 2005 Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes looks like a second coming of the 1980 vintage of this wine, as it seems quite certain to mirror that former wine’s syrupy opulence and bottomless depth. Laurent feels that this will ultimately be proven to be the wine of the vintage. The bouquet now is very, very deep, very, very powerful and quite primary, as it offers up notes of red plums, black cherries, blood orange, vinesmoke, mustard seed, gamebirds, earth and espresso. On the palate the wine is monumentally scaled, with wave after wave of fruit on the attack, substantial, but very ripe tannins, and great length and grip on the remarkably soil-driven finish, given the onslaught of fruit on the attack. Larger than life. (Drink between 2017-2060)John Gilman | 95 JG

The 2017 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru has an open, generous bouquet of predominantly red fruit, a little earthier than its peers but still gaining intensity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, saturated tannins. It’s a little creamy in texture because of the oak, but there is plenty of fruit here and an almost sorbet-like freshness on the finish. Blimey... this surpasses all expectations and is contender for wine of the vintage. Brilliant. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2017 tasting.Vinous Media | 98 VMSome intensity of colour, more crimson than purple. Lifted spicy nose, quite interesting. Indeed this Chambertin-Clos de Bèze gains in complexity very quickly. Keep sniffing this. There is some dark berry fruit, with a gorgeous sensuality, a little pepperiness, so much detail, the intensity is lightly worn, a beauty. Tasted Sep 2021.Jasper Morris | 98 JMBruno Clair owns 1ha of Clos de Bèze, which is quite a lot given how extensive Pierre Damoy’s holdings are in the grand cru. This is a comparatively subtle, gentle wine rather than a late-picked blockbuster, with attractive 40% new wood, some chalky zip and nuanced red fruit sweetness.Decanter Magazine | 95 DECAn overtly floral, more elegant and airier nose displays a striking array of spice elements on the red and dark currant, herbal tea, earth and lavender scents. Here too the mouthfeel of the larger-scaled flavors is quite sophisticated while displaying plenty of punch on the youthfully austere finale that also flashes a touch of bitter fruit pit character. Lovely stuff.Burghound | 93 BH

An astonishing expression of the new spirit of Beaujolais, this has the depth and finesse of a great Grand Cru red burgundy married to the vitality and purity that only this region can achieve. The mind-blowing, velvety texture is interwoven with amazing crushed-rock and wet-stone minerality on the expansive palate. The exceptionally long finish, at once firm and precise, just doesn’t want to stop. From a five- hectare block in the Aux Caves site. 20% whole-cluster fermented. Matured for almost a year in used Burgundian oak casks. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2023 Moulin-à-Vent Coeur de Vigneronne has a bouquet even more elegant than the 2022. Pure black cherry, cassis and pressed violet petal scents percolate through with time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied, harmonious and lightly spiced, with smooth, pliant tannins. Like other vintages, this is not a subtle or understated Moulin-à-Vent, but this is so pure and seductive that it’s difficult to resist. You have been warned!Vinous Media | 92 VM

Hold onto your hat. This is an extraordinarily seductive expression of Moulin-a-Vent. Dense and compact but also incredibly plush and dynamic, it makes a huge statement, a bit like meeting the goddess of black cherries. Interlocking fine tannins and remarkable minerality in the dazzling, almost endless finish. From totally destemmed fruit. Cold maceration for four days. Long fermentation. Aged 11 months in used Burgundian barrels. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 99 JSMade from 100% destemmed fruit and aged for 11 months in barrels (10% new), the 2023 Moulin-à-Vent La Rochelle is suave on the palate, layered with complex notes of stewed black cherries, licorice, black pepper, confit orange and spice. Full-bodied, the wine opens with a rounded, velvety profile that gracefully tapers, shaped by well-integrated, smooth-coated tannins, ascending toward a refined, complete finish. This is another beautiful effort from Anita.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe 2023 Moulin-à-Vent La Rochelle was very reduced on the nose, although there are black plummy fruit aromas coiled up here. The palate is plush and luxurious. Its acidity counters the richness of the 2023 acts more like a 2022! Kirsch and blood orange notes arise toward the finish as it gradually fans out. This is an intense Gamay that requires a couple of years in bottle.Vinous Media | 91 VM