Wines with Age

wines

Produced from a tiny parcel of old vines (80-85 years old), the 2002 Clos St.-Denis explodes from the glass with delectable aromas of sweet blueberries and cherries. Medium to full bodied, it is broad, ample, expansive, and well-structured. Ripe blackberries, cassis, blueberries, leather, and herbs can be found in its flavor profile. This effort’s copious fruit envelopes an enormous quantity of ripe yet firm tannin. Projected maturity: 2009-2018.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RP(Maison Louis Jadot Clos St. Denis Grand Cru Red) Much more deftly oaked with complex, elegant and beautifully pure red and black fruit aromas and sweet, deep, rich and mouth coating flavors that possess a spicy, powerful and extremely long finish. This is more understated than a number of the grands crus in the range though there is more muscle and punch than usual though about the same degree of structure. A terrific effort and the best since the extraordinary ’99 that should improve for up to a decade and last for another. (Drink between 2010-2017).Burghound | 91-93 BH(these vines are between 80 and 90 years of age, notes Lardiere) Dark red. Musky aromas of red fruits, chocolate and mocha, with complicating notes of herbs and underbrush. In a drier style than the Amoureuses, but with complex, well-defined flavors of red fruits, herbs and mint. Here one senses the vinification with the stems. Finishes with ripe, chewy tannins and lingering notes of earth, mocha and spice. An atypically strong showing for this cuvee.Vinous Media | 89-92 VM

(Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles-Vignes Grand Cru Red) There is even more aromatic complexity with similar and brilliant red and black fruit notes though not the spice with superbly sappy, concentrated and very pure flavors that display flat out incredible length and impeccable balance. This will join the ranks of some of the best vintages of Ponsot’s Clos de la Roche, which is saying something. It is however built for the very patient. (Drink starting 2017)Burghound | 93 BHPonsot’s 2002 Clos de la Roche was exotic and intriguing, but also rough around the edges.Antonio Galloni | 91 AG

The 2006 Clos De La Roche Grand Cru knocked it out of the park. Still incredibly youthful, it blossomed over the course of the evening, revealing loads of spice and forest floor characteristics paired with beautiful fruit. It certainly has a vibrant, almost crunchy style, yet the mid-palate is terrific, it’s flawlessly balanced, has ample ripeness, and is just a joy to drink. It’s just now at the early stages of maturity and has another 15-20 years (if not more) of longevity ahead of it. I’d certainly be thrilled with bottles in the cellar.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDThe Dujac 2006 Clos de la Roche is a dark, brooding Pinot no less complex or long than its Clos St.-Denis sibling. Here, the animal side is a gamey, faintly sweaty beast; the fruits dark and as bitter as they are sweet; and the sense of chocolate-like richness remarkable in the context of the vintage. And rather than an energetic sense of interplay, this conveys a layering of fruit, meat, and stony, saline mineral elements, supported by tactile viscosity and a sappy sense of almost indelible cling. Lucky are those who can follow and compare both of these wines over the next dozen years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe 2006 is showing well, with ripe, lush notes of mulberry fruit and a suggestion of lilac and spice on the initial attack. There is still plenty of primary fruit, but subtle developed hints of smoke and game are starting to appear. Alec Seysses lamented that the vintage is overlooked. Indeed, today this wine shows great finesse, silky tannins, and an outstanding acid balance that carries the wine through to a sensuous finish.Decanter Magazine | 95 DECThis beauty is evolving glacially with its reserved and still quite primary nose of intensely floral red berry fruit, earth and discreet spice nuances. There is excellent concentration and power to the robustly constituted big-bodied flavors that exude a subtle minerality on the impressively complex, balanced and wonderfully long finale. While this could be enjoyed now it is very clearly still on the way up and I would recommend allowing it at least another 5 years or so first. In a word, excellent. Note that another bottled tasted in November 2017 was not as good as it was extremely tannic and somewhat drying. I rated that bottle: 92?Burghound | 94 BHThe 2006 Clos de la Roche was in splendid form in November, and clearly will be a great bottle of wine. The bouquet is deep and pure, as it offers up a refined mélange of red plums, raw cocoa, cherries, blood orange, a lovely base of soil and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is fullish, complex and intensely flavored, with beautiful focus and depth, tangy acids, very fine-grained tannins and a beautiful, long and palate-staining finish. A beautiful vintage for this consistently compelling wine. (Drink between 2016 - 2045)John Gilman | 94 JGGood deep red-ruby. Musky, meaty nose is dominated today by chocolate and minerals; lower-pitched than the Clos-Saint-Denis. Fat and sweet in the mouth, with an almost liqueur-like ripeness and wonderful silky depth. Offers compelling sweetness if not quite the detail of the Clos-Saint-Denis. Finishes with a boatload of chewy, granular tannins. Not especially perfumed today but this has the size of a 2005.Vinous Media | 93+ VMYouthful fresh colour, lighter than 2005 of course but still as it should be. There is a sucrosity to the fruit which is enchanting followed by a slightly drier structure. Really good now in its youth. Balanced and classy. Tasted Nov 2017.Jasper Morris | 93 JM

Since day one, I have loved the entire range of 2008s from Domaine Dujac and the Clos de la Roche is still showing beautiful potential as it starts to approach its tenth birthday. The wine has now moved into a stage where one can really sense what it will be like at maturity, with the first stirrings of secondary layers of complexity showing on both the nose and palate. The vibrant bouquet delivers scents of cherries, beetroot, mustard seed, coffee, still a touch of its youthful stems, gorgeous soil tones, woodsmoke and a discreet framing of spicy new wood. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, complex and tangy, with a lovely core of red fruit, excellent soil signature, fine-grained tannins and excellent length and grip on the vivid finish. To my palate, this is an utter classic in the making. (Drink between 2020-2050)John Gilman | 96 JGThe 2008 Clos de la Roche is particularly refined in this vintage. The wine literally floats on the palate with weightless elegance in its intensely perfumed fruit. Crushed flowers and red berries linger on the silky, impossibly fine finish. This is a fabulous effort from Dujac. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2033.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPhe 2008 Clos de la Roche is particularly refined in this vintage. The wine literally floats on the palate with weightless elegance in its intensely perfumed fruit. Crushed flowers and red berries linger on the silky, impossibly fine finish. This is a fabulous effort from Dujac.Vinous Media | 95 VMI’ve had mixed experiences with this wine as the bottle in the tasting was certainly very good but was displaying some secondary development on the nose while displaying a touch of backend dryness that was enough to cause concern. Score: 91/2028+. By contrast, a bottle tried in April 2016 was notably better and that note is: The airy, cool and relatively deeply pitched dark red berry fruit-suffused nose is cut with hints of stone, game and leather as well as a subtle but not invisible touch of wood. The detailed, robust and firmly muscular broad-shouldered flavors are still presently very backward, serious and superbly long on the mouth coating finish. The supporting tannins are quite prominent but the overall impression is a well-balanced effort that will require plenty of cellar time to realize its full, and considerable potential.Burghound | 94 BHModerate depth of colour. Some depth of evolving fruit and a touch of pepper. Quite tight on the palate stem-dry, still a good intensity behind but awkward. Tasted Jun 2018.Jasper Morris | 92 JM

This impressively complete wine offers up very ripe aromas of spice, earth and game that introduce strikingly rich, naturally sweet and mouth coating big-bodied flavors that explode on the formidably long finish. This is a classy wine with absolutely superb complexity, impeccable balance and almost uncanny presence, all delivered with grace and power. Be prepared to be patient however as this will need plenty of time. A ’wow’ wine that possess excellent verve, especially within the context of the ’09 vintage.Burghound | 96 BHThe opulent 2009 Clos de la Roche seems a bit more black fruity in its personality than the equally flamboyant, but much more red fruity 1985 version, at least at this early stage in its evolution. The nose is deep, pure and sappy, as it offers up scents of black cherries, plums, roasted venison, fresh herb tones, coffee and a very complex signature of soil. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, broad-shouldered and powerfully built, with a huge core of sappy fruit, excellent focus and balance, suave, but substantial tannins and brilliant length and grip on the opulent and palate-staining finish. (Drink between 2020 - 2070)John Gilman | 96+ JGThe 2009 Clos de la Roche Cuvee Vieilles Vignes is round, sweet and totally enveloping. It is a huge, towering Burgundy that impresses for its gorgeous inner perfume and juicy, exuberant fruit. This shows tons of richness without being heavy or overripe in any way. Anticipated maturity: 2029-2049.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-97 RPThe 2009 Clos de la Roche Cuvée Vieilles Vignes is round, sweet and totally enveloping. It is a huge, towering wine that impresses for its gorgeous inner perfume and juicy, exuberant fruit. This shows tons of richness without being heavy or overripe in any way.Vinous Media | 94-97 VM

An intensely floral nose features notes of rose petals and lavender along with cool red berry fruit liberally laced with wet stone nuances. The taut and muscular broad-scaled and concentrated flavors are precise, intense and explosively long on the focused and stunningly persistent finish that is youthfully austere and breathtakingly intense. This faultlessly well-balanced but very firm effort will require extended cellaring and 15 to 20 years is probably what the structure will require to completely resolve.Burghound | 96 BHThe 2010 Clos de La Roche from Dujac is an infant, but it is also fabulous. All of the signatures are there; soaring aromatics, finely sculpted fruit and vibrant, pulsating tannins. What a privilege it is to drink the 2010 over several hours at dinner. An intensely perfumed, multi-dimensional Burgundy, the 2010 captures all of the potential I have seen in previous tastings. Ideally, the 2010 should be cellared for at least a handful of years, as it is built for a long life that will go out for several decades. Readers who own the 2010 should be thrilled.Vinous Media | 96 VMThe 2010 Clos de la Roche is a tad more reserved than any of the previous grand crus served in the range in the Dujac cellars, but every bit as transparent, sappy and seamless. The great nose offers up a classy mélange of red and black cherries, plums, cocoa, incipient notes of venison, lovely soil nuances, woodsmoke and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, very pure and nascently complex, with a rock solid core of fruit, ripe tannins, brilliant transparency and stunning grip on the very, very long and youthful finish. A great wine in the making. (Drink between 2022-2075)John Gilman | 95 JGThe 2010 Clos de la Roche wafts from the glass with sweet scents of tobacco, crushed flowers and spices. Tasted after the Charmes, the Clos de la Roche comes across as decidedly feminine, but there is plenty of weightless energy being held back, at least that is the sense I get today. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2035.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RP

(Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru Red) In stark contrast to the expressiveness of the Clos St. Denis, this is almost mute and even aggressive swirling liberates only the briefest glimpses of wild red berries and earth notes. There is superb size and weight to the imposing and overtly muscular flavors that also enjoy an incredible amount of dry extract that confers a supple and seductively textured mouth feel to the highly concentrated mid-palate. The presently buried tannins are intense and markedly firm though not hard on the explosively long finish that seems to go on and on. This should be something very special if given sufficient time to reach its apogee. (Drink starting 2032).Burghound | 95-97 BH

(Clos St. Denis- Domaine Dujac) I have a fair bit of Dujac Clos St. Denis in my cellar, but I cannot recall any previous vintage as promising as the 2011 showed at the time of my visit in November. This is one of the most elegant of all the grand crus in the Côte de Nuits and this has obviously dovetailed brilliantly with the style of the 2011 vintage. The stunning nose soars from the glass in a glorious mélange of cherries, blood orange, gamebirds, cinnamon, roses, beautiful minerality, cocoa, peonies and a discreet base of spicy wood. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and absolutely ethereal in style, with great mid-palate depth and nascent complexity, laser-like focus, suave tannins and magical grip and focus on the very, very long and very transparent finish. This beautiful wine already dances across the palate and it will be a legend in the years to come! (Drink between 2022-2065)John Gilman | 96 JGA model of elegance and finesse, the 2011 Clos St. Denis presents a hugely attractive fabric laced with orange peel, rose petals and sweet spices. The 2011 is an especially floral, lifted Clos St. Denis endowed with terrific energy and focus, while the mid-weight structure suggests it will drink well relatively early.Vinous Media | 95 VMDeep, profound wine with dark berries, cinnamon and spices. Velvety tannins and long finish. Terroir-driven, very intense flavours, amazing depth. Drinking Window 2018 - 2028.Decanter | 94 DEC(Domaine Dujac Clos St. Denis Grand Cru Red) Here too an adroit application of wood serves as a discreet foil for the more obvious floral aromas that enjoy added scope from the presence of pure, spicy and highly complex red and dark berry scents. There is an abundance of mouth coating extract that imparts a suave, even lush character to the very rich medium-bodied flavors that are an exercise in finesse and refinement while offering controlled power and outstanding length. A classic Clos St. Denis of class and grace. (Drink starting 2026)Burghound | 93 BHThe 2011 Clos Saint Denis Grand Cru is missing a little cohesion on the nose, rather loose-knit with broody, stony red berry fruit. Fortunately, it begins to come together with rigorous swirling of the glass and musters much better focus. The palate is medium-bodied with quite chalky tannins on the entry. There is a fine core of red cherries, pomegranate and attractive saline notes toward the masculine finish. It is more approachable than other vintages that I have tasted at this stage, but it deserves three or four years in bottle because there is a lot of potential here. Drink 2015-2025.I have been visiting Jeremy and Alec Seysses at Domaine Dujac for several years now, and it is always one of my favorite ports of call. Alec, looking surprisingly chipper for a new dad had taken time off nappy duty to guide me through the 2011s this year. I have to confess that I was concerned by the conspicuous nature of the new oak on both their negociant label wines and the entry Village Crus. I felt that 35% new oak tended to overwhelm the fruit and terroir and occasionally impart drying finishes, which is why my scores are parsimonious here. As I tasted through the range toward the flock of Grand Crus the oak seemed better assimilated, although I would still maintain that the wine is of such quality that the present level of oak risks being superfluous to requirements. All the negociant label wines were bottled before Christmas.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 92 RP-NM

The 2012 vintage of Clos de la Roche from Domaine Dujac is still a very, very young wine, but it is going to be magnificent in the fullness of time. Today it offers up superb purity and transparency, though still a tad marked by its new oak component in this very early stage. The bouquet is a fine, fine blend of red and black cherries, plums, raw cocoa, a fine base of soil and plenty of smoky new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and marvelously soil-driven for such a young wine, with a sappy core of fruit, fine focus and grip and a very long, suavely tannic finish. The balance here is just perfect, and once the new wood is fully integrated into the base of the wine, it will probably close down for an extended period of hibernation. I would not touch it again until it has celebrated its twentieth birthday- not because it is not going to be impressive to drink younger- but there is so much waiting in the wings here that it is crazy not to give this great wine time to develop all aspects of its beauty! Drink between 2032-2075.John Gilman | 96 JGDujac's 2012 Clos de La Roche bristles with palpable energy and intensity. One of the more polished wines in the range, the Clos de la Roche is all about saline-infused energy and brilliance today. I very much like the precision here, but time has shown that the Clos de la Roche only starts to blossom with considerable bottle age. Today, the layers of dimension are present, but also compacted. In a few years, the 2012 will be truly magical.Vinous Media | 96 VMThere is enough reduction to notice though not so much as to completely dominate the floral-suffused nose. This also possesses relatively fine-grained tannins though there is notably more size, weight and power as well as a bit more complexity to the mineral-driven and impeccably well-balanced finish that is both explosive and palate staining. This is most impressive as it manages to deliver stunning intensity and depth of material without any undue heaviness. Note however that this is one very structured wine that will require a lengthy stay in a cool cellar to arrive at its full peak. (Drink starting 2030)Burghound | 95 BHThe 2012 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru had a lot of reduction on the nose, but the palate tannic and masculine, dark and introspective yet well balanced with a crescendo of flavors towards an energetic, spicy finish that leave the tongue tingling after the wine has departed. This looks like being a vin de garde, such is the grip and forcefulness of this wine.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 94-96 RP-NM

The 2013 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru, which will contain some new oak although I tasted from a used barrel, has a tightly knit bouquet that at the moment is less expressive than the Mazis-Chambertin. The palate is crisp and pure, quite tensile, with a spiciness that becomes more prominent toward the fleshy, harmonious finish. Curiously, even from a used barrel the texture feels as if there is some new oak, but that is just the concentration of fruit coming through. Frédéric enthused about this wine and I suspect that it may surpass my expectations once in bottle.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPThe 2013 Clos de la Roche from Domaine Rousseau saw ten percent new wood in this vintage, with the remainder of the barrels used for the elevage primarily one wine casks. The wine was a touch reduced at the time of my visit, but opened up with some swirling to reveal a promising bouquet of red and black cherries, meaty tones, dark soil, woodsmoke, a touch of mustard seed and a discreet base of nutty oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, long and very pure on the attack, with a fine core, ripe tannins and a long, youthfully reticent and tangy finish. This will be a lovely vintage for this wine, but like the Mazy, it deserves a decade in the cellar to really come into its own. (Drink between 2023 - 2055)John Gilman | 92-93+ JGAn unusually high-toned nose is comprised by a pretty array of red berry fruit, earth and Asian style tea nuances. There is really lovely detail and vibrancy to the middle weight flavors that exude a fine bead of minerality on the restrained and lingering finish. This delivers surprisingly good flavor authority given that this is not nearly as concentrated as the best in the range. In sum this is a beautifully well-delineated wine of harmony if not power that should reward mid to longer-term aging as the supporting tannins are also dense but fine.Burghound | 91-93 BHThe 2013 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru was impressive from barrel, but in bottle I found it coming up a bit short. Firstly, it is extremely reduced on the nose and after two or three hours there is little change. It is dense and muscular, very concentrated in style (perhaps atypically for this cuvée from Rousseau) and yet the finish feels a bit chunky and lacks finesse. Yes, it is too young, but here it is easily surpassed by Cathiard’s Malconsorts. Tasted at 21 Boulevard restaurant in Beaune.Vinous Media | 90 VM

(Clos St. Denis- Domaine Dujac) When we started to taste the quite reserved 2013 Clos St. Denis, Jeremy Seysses chuckled, as he observed that “this wine was wide open yesterday and it was the Clos de la Roche that was shut down, and now today, it is the inverse.” In any case, this closed and grumpy wine is clearly going to be just fine in the fullness of time, as with some coaxing it reluctantly reveals an aromatic constellation of cherries, red plums, cloves, herb tones, woodsmoke, gamebirds, superb soil nuances and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and tightly-knit, with a great soil signature, ripe tannins, bright acids and fine length and grip on the closed, but intensely flavored finish. All this needs is time. (Drink between 2023-2060)John Gilman | 94+ JGFull, dark red. Captivating rose petal lift to the aromas of red fruits, iron and minerals; less earthy and more ethereal than the Clos de la Roche. Also juicier and tighter in the mouth, showing less early sweetness but terrific acid spine and lift to the sappy flavors of raspberry and salty minerals. This wine has really put on weight since its bottling, noted Diane Snowden. But it still boasts terrific cut and inner-mouth tension. Lay this one down.Vinous Media | 94+ VMThe 2013 Clos Saint Denis Grand Cru has a slight reduction on the nose, but underneath that there is a floral note and what appears to be fine minerality. The palate is medium-bodied and takes time to coalesce in the glass, but it eventually finds good structure and an intriguing coconut note on the finish. Quite dense in the mouth, there is an appealing salinity within this Grand Cru, but I would give it 4 or 5 years before broaching a bottle.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 93-95 RP-NM(Domaine Dujac Clos St. Denis Grand Cru Red) This is both more aromatically restrained and more elegant than the Clos de la Roche with its reluctant nose of rose petal, spiced tea and red and dark berry fruit aromas. There is a really lovely mouth feel to the refined middle weight flavors that exude a discreet bead of minerality that adds a bit of lift to the intense, balanced, focused and beautifully balanced finish. Textbook Clos St. Denis. (Drink starting 2025)Burghound | 92-95 BH