| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Burgundy > Côte de Nuits > Morey-Saint-Denis |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
The 2008 Clos de la Roche Cuvee Vieilles Vignes is a silky, elegant wine. Freshly cut roses, dark red fruit and minerals sit on a core of utterly refined tannins. This shows stunning balance in a weightless style that gains energy on the clean, focused finish. This is a fabulous effort from Ponsot. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2033.
**Note: the aggregate size of this holding is a whopping 3.4 ha and Ponsot is easily the largest holder in Clos de la Roche**
Heavy reduction blocks the nose though it's possible to discern that beneath the funk lies very ripe fruit. By contrast, the vibrant and powerful big-bodied flavors are wonderfully fresh and culminate in a robust and well-muscled finish that avoids any rusticity because of the huge amounts of dry extract on the palate saturating finale. I really like the sense of perfect balance plus the combination of a textured and velvety mouth feel juxtaposed against the precision and tension of the flavors and finish. In a word, terrific (but lots of patience required).
Bright, dark crimson. Light and with some vegy notes. Truffles and interest on the nose. Lots of breadth and interest. Very nervy. Lots tucked in there. Certainly no sign of overripeness. Drink 2018-2035.
The 2008 Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes was the most closed wine in the cellar at the time of my visit, and the most profound as well. The bouquet is deep and very sappy in its youthful mélange of red and black cherries, blood orange, coffee, espresso, fantastically complex soil tones and a mustardy topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and bottomless at the core, with ripe tannins, superb acids and stunning length and grip on the again, nearly endless finish. A great vintage for this consistently outstanding wine. (Drink between 2020-2060).
