Collector Wines

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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

Simply put, Christian Moueix’s Napa Valley project Ulysses is a wine every collector of Napa Cabernet should have in their cellar. The 2021 release of the Oakville red is a knockout that is never too bombastic, entirely reserved even in its generosity, and one that will last a very long time. A dry winter and spring led to the second consecutive year of a drought that began in January 2020. Temperatures were warm and consistent and slightly above average. The vines produced smaller clusters of small berries with high phenolic compounds and tannin levels. 1,400 cases produced. Opaque purple-ruby to the rim. A wine showing all the best qualities you’d expect from a prime Oakville site. This is a beautifully balanced red, imbued with a tremendously fresh streak of acidity. The nose leads with prime, ripe, dark black fruits, cassis, violets, creme de menthe, and crushed slate.—medium to full-bodied with impressively fashioned tannins that are robust and build through the extravagantly long finish. Marked by ripe black cherry and spiced plum notes, the length is extended by zesty blood orange acidity. Fragrant with sage and thyme, nuanced by brighter cherry blossom freshness and mineral tension. Impressive depth and density with a core of pure, ripe, and juicy fruit. Exceptional. This was the last wine in a complete vertical tI tasted with Moueix and winemaker Tod Mostero in a tasting room tucked within the barn on the Ulysses Vineyard site. ’I’m thrilled,’ commented Moueix, ’There’s a real dignity to the wines.’ Moueix said that until this tasting, he hadn’t quite noticed the style signature but found it emerging, though cautioned, ’Even with our experience next door at Dominus, we are still figuring it out.’ For Mostero, ’Making these has been a discovery of place. With our mature vines, we’re just beginning to get a sense of the true resonance of the place. The 2021 typifies what we can expect. This arrow-like structure that is piercing, resonant, and strong.’Decanter Magazine | 99 DECThe reserved plushness comes out clearly with brightness, focus and very creamy tannins that give it muscle and tension. Juicy and flavorful but not overdone. Energetic and flexing but in a friendly way. Plums, milk chocolate, terra cotta and nutmeg. Almost all cabernet sauvignon with a touch of cabernet franc and petit verdot. Give it four or five years to soften. Try after 2028.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is a huge, dense wine. Copious dark fruit, menthol, licorice, plum, espresso and spice are amplified in a large-scale, ample Oakville Cabernet. The 2021 is very much a wine of power and structure. Sepia-toned notes lend darkness, while the oak imprint also appears to be quite present at this stage. Even so, the wine exudes balance but in a pretty extroverted style, especially compared to Dominus.Vinous Media | 96 VMThe 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon, with around 5% Cabernet Franc in the blend, is opaque purple-black in color. It storms out of the glass with powerful scents of blackcurrant cordial, plum preserves, star anise, iris bulb, and dark chocolate plus suggestions of camphor, cedar chest, and crushed rocks. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers a sold line of firm grainy tannins and bold freshness to frame the energetic black fruit layers, finishing long and fragrant. 1,400 cases were made.The Wine Independent | 96 TWIThere are 1,400 cases of the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon, which offers up charming red-fruited notes of cherries and redcurrants, plus some loamy-earth scents. While it comes across a bit more angular and more coarsely textured than its sister wines Dominus or Napanook, it also seems a bit lighter in body despite also weighing in at 15% alcohol. It’s impressively complete and balanced overall, adding savory, mocha-tinged notes on the lingering finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RP