Clos de Vougeot, Domaine Leroy 1995

This is a fascinating wine of power and intensity yet without weight or heaviness and the usual youthful austerity of classic Clos de Vougeot is only a background element as the rich, full-bodied, sappy and highly complex flavors are underpinned by supple tannins that have none of the aggressivity of the typical '95 today. In fact, this is really quite forward and while it should hold for many years at this level, I don't see any further improvement potential. A great effort from what is undoubtedly the reference standard producer of this fabled grand cru. Tasted several times with consistent results.

The herbal and roasted blackberry-scented 1995 Clos de Vougeot is medium-to-dark ruby-colored and reveals traces of amber. It possesses a tightly wound, super-concentrated core of blackberry, cassis, and brambleberry fruit. This firm, medium-to-full-bodied, backward wine is packed with loads of fruit and tannin. Projected maturity: 2006-2012+

Displaying a luxurious nose of cinnamon, dark cherries and Asian spices, the Clos Vougeot (350 cases made from 5 acres!) has a beautifully spicy entry and deeply-structured, stony, highly-extracted, dark berry-filled flavors. Velvety-textured and medium-to-full bodied, it requires cellaring for 8-9 years. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2017.