Clos de la Roche "VV"	1983	Dom. Ponsot

12/97. Acquired in auction Dec-96 for $154 (imported for $164 net).
This wine is sooooo good that it deserves a tasting note each time. My fifth bottle in about three years, the second from my last acquisition, had to stand up to fiery Friday night dinner for two at home. Two kind of mushroom stew (ok, no big deal), but would you believe a great (B) Grand Cru accompanying chili con carne? well, it did. With honors!
COLOR: Deep, enticing ruby-red color, enriched by many dark-brown hues. Considerable amount of sediment both on bottle and in the glasses.
NOSE: So profound, so rich and complex. To those who have tasted a truly great mature (B) in the past, all I have to say is, yes, this is the kind of wine you simply refuse to get your nose away from the glass. Sweetish dry plums, wet earth and forest undergrowth, tobacco and leather - layer upon layer of big-time celebration on the nose. Grandiose!
TASTE: Not to be outdone by the nose, on the palate this wine is so rich and mouthfilling - hard to imagine a better thing. Multi-flavored, with a combination of grip and sensuality no other kind of wine can boast of. Again, the sweetish tones of a mature grand (B), together with pronounced acidity, discernible but soft tannins and gobs of 'winyness'. Awesome! :)
LENGTH: Never ending. Fantastic aftertaste that play tricks and dance with each taste bud...
TEXTURE & BALANCE: A hefty wine [in (B) terms]. So well endowed but not yet completely integrated. Mature fruit, alcohol, winyness, acidity and tannins - all abound but can still be told apart.
OVERALL: Extraordinary (and then some)! In a few years, when all the elements will completely harmonize, I believe this effort from Ponsot will deserve the perfect score.
MARK: 19+/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.

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Copyright 1996-2003.
Jacob "Yak" Shaya.