3/01. Acquired from London, May-95 for $45.
Clos de la Roche is my favorite Morey-St. Denis wine.
The renditions from Dom. Ponsot and Dom. Dujac express the same terroir in opposite manner. Ponsot's is full bodied, highly extracted wine, while Dujac's is all about delicacy and finesse. Let's see what the exalted Rousseau produces here.
COLOR: Medium-light red, even for (B). Noticeable clearing around the rim.
NOSE: Complex powerful nose of rustic character. Animalish notes of raw meat leather and damp earth dominate over whatever fruit there is there. 'Bourgogne Nose' is a beautiful thing when it serves as a backdrop to lush fruit. Unfortunately, here it takes center-stage.
TASTE: Not particularly concentrated with little fruit and winyness. Still, flavorful, tasty and quite complex. Medium round tannins, firm backbone and good grip makes this an excellent food-wine. A bit of a let down when compared with a truly fine Clos de la Roche.
LENGTH: Medium-long complex aftertaste that lingers.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Medium-full bodied wine with little fruit and moderate concentration. Complex and deep though not particularly charming. Reasonably balanced.
OVERALL: Fine. While Rousseau is the universal benchmark for Chambertin, this Clos de la Roche lacks the class and dimension of Ponsot or Dujac.

MARK: 17.5/20.

BUY MORE? Yes.

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Copyright 1996-2003.
Jacob "Yak" Shaya.