Clos de la Roche - Leroy, Ponsont, Dujac
Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2016 11:10 am
Any of the 3 wines served by themselves would have had me raving about them. To have all 3 in a single sitting was an embarrassment of riches for an average punter like myself. So I am truly grateful for the generosity shown by all.
2000 Domaine Leroy Clos de la Roche – First up, huge punt, one of the deepest I’d seen
. Huge wine, both in colour and aromas almost N.Rhone like, lots of roasted spices, dark fruits, green cedar, sit and smell this all night. Smooth and silky on the palate with great length, it’s a big wine but never comes across like it, beautifully balanced. Right up there as my WOTY.
2005 Ponsot Clos de la Roche – Chocolate, dark fruit, lots of bright acidity and drive, loved the palate progression. Hints of soy and sour cherry, roast meat juices, with some earthiness. Could still taste this a minute after drinking.
2005 Dujac Clos de la Roche – Dark and brooding with more oak, great acid structure, heavier more fruit forward than the Ponsot, with black pepper, raspberry/blackcurrant spectrum, bacon fat/blood.
Although both the 05’s were probably too young at 11 years of age they provided an insight into where they were going in the next 15 years or so when they will be truly epic wines.
Other wines from the night
1996 Dom Perignon – this had a slight TCA taint, some picked it out others didn’t. It was still enjoyable, although I struggled to get away from the subtle mid palate whack of cardboard in each taste. Nice acid, lemon curd, and some toastiness and caramelised notes coming through.
Gosset Celebris Extra Brut BdB – The chardonnay in this showing its colours, nutty, and brioche on the nose, with a bit of sour acidity and tartness. Went well with the oysters.
1988 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne – Wow, this look like a baby, fresh and bright with lots of zesty lemon characteristics. The provenance was impeccable and it shows, this would do another 10 years easily at this rate. If a white can be fresh yet fully integrated, then this was it. I just sat swirling it trying to get my head around that it was nearly 30 years old. Mind blown.
2013 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne – Rich on the nose with green apples, sweet oak, quite floral. Lots of body, and richness flowing through the palate. Great foil to the 88.
2010 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet Les Perrières – After the C-C these were quite confronting with their acid profiles - more astringency (in a good way). Like licking a wet rock, some herbal notes, grapefruit.
2012 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet Les Perrières – Touch less brighter, seems more composed in treading that fine acid line. Lemon, floral notes. Not had much Sauzet so am not sure what the domaine style is, as I found it quite different to other P-M’s I’d had.
1998 Domaine Roumier Chambolle-Musigny – Loved the gamey, earthy nose on this, real kaleidoscope of aromas which constantly changed in the glass. Dark fruits and a nice length. I quite enjoyed this.
1996 Domaine Trapet Chambertin – Bit of leather on the nose, dusty fruits, quite austere and Bdx like. Nicely integrated, plums, earth and some minerality (acid?) which I found a bit out of sync. Nice length. A very elegant wine I remember thinking.
2011 Sylvain Cathiard Vosne-Romanée Les Orveaux – Muted nose, bottle was a touch warm by this time of the night. Bright sweet fruit, raspberry, strawberry and sweet nutmeg/cinnamon spice. Much better on the palate, with a typical SC silky richness to it that I love from this producer. Big wine, which will settle down with some age (10 years).
1994 Domaine Arlaud Charmes-Chambertin – this was corked. Leather and earthy notes.
We finished off with two stickies, by then my palate was pretty much shot, so I just enjoyed them for what they were. Both very good, but I didn’t analyse them too much.
1999 Wittmann Auslese
2004 Bischöfliches Weingut Rüdesheim Rüdesheimer Klosterlay Eiswein
This was on Bastille Day in Australia at Glebe Point Diner with a mate out from the US, before all the tragedy unfolded in France, horrible thing to wake up to.
Glebe Point Diner, service was fantastic once again, I did eat waaaay too much and the food is quite rich as an added bonus.
2000 Domaine Leroy Clos de la Roche – First up, huge punt, one of the deepest I’d seen
. Huge wine, both in colour and aromas almost N.Rhone like, lots of roasted spices, dark fruits, green cedar, sit and smell this all night. Smooth and silky on the palate with great length, it’s a big wine but never comes across like it, beautifully balanced. Right up there as my WOTY. 2005 Ponsot Clos de la Roche – Chocolate, dark fruit, lots of bright acidity and drive, loved the palate progression. Hints of soy and sour cherry, roast meat juices, with some earthiness. Could still taste this a minute after drinking.
2005 Dujac Clos de la Roche – Dark and brooding with more oak, great acid structure, heavier more fruit forward than the Ponsot, with black pepper, raspberry/blackcurrant spectrum, bacon fat/blood.
Although both the 05’s were probably too young at 11 years of age they provided an insight into where they were going in the next 15 years or so when they will be truly epic wines.
Other wines from the night
1996 Dom Perignon – this had a slight TCA taint, some picked it out others didn’t. It was still enjoyable, although I struggled to get away from the subtle mid palate whack of cardboard in each taste. Nice acid, lemon curd, and some toastiness and caramelised notes coming through.
Gosset Celebris Extra Brut BdB – The chardonnay in this showing its colours, nutty, and brioche on the nose, with a bit of sour acidity and tartness. Went well with the oysters.
1988 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne – Wow, this look like a baby, fresh and bright with lots of zesty lemon characteristics. The provenance was impeccable and it shows, this would do another 10 years easily at this rate. If a white can be fresh yet fully integrated, then this was it. I just sat swirling it trying to get my head around that it was nearly 30 years old. Mind blown.
2013 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne – Rich on the nose with green apples, sweet oak, quite floral. Lots of body, and richness flowing through the palate. Great foil to the 88.
2010 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet Les Perrières – After the C-C these were quite confronting with their acid profiles - more astringency (in a good way). Like licking a wet rock, some herbal notes, grapefruit.
2012 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet Les Perrières – Touch less brighter, seems more composed in treading that fine acid line. Lemon, floral notes. Not had much Sauzet so am not sure what the domaine style is, as I found it quite different to other P-M’s I’d had.
1998 Domaine Roumier Chambolle-Musigny – Loved the gamey, earthy nose on this, real kaleidoscope of aromas which constantly changed in the glass. Dark fruits and a nice length. I quite enjoyed this.
1996 Domaine Trapet Chambertin – Bit of leather on the nose, dusty fruits, quite austere and Bdx like. Nicely integrated, plums, earth and some minerality (acid?) which I found a bit out of sync. Nice length. A very elegant wine I remember thinking.
2011 Sylvain Cathiard Vosne-Romanée Les Orveaux – Muted nose, bottle was a touch warm by this time of the night. Bright sweet fruit, raspberry, strawberry and sweet nutmeg/cinnamon spice. Much better on the palate, with a typical SC silky richness to it that I love from this producer. Big wine, which will settle down with some age (10 years).
1994 Domaine Arlaud Charmes-Chambertin – this was corked. Leather and earthy notes.
We finished off with two stickies, by then my palate was pretty much shot, so I just enjoyed them for what they were. Both very good, but I didn’t analyse them too much.
1999 Wittmann Auslese
2004 Bischöfliches Weingut Rüdesheim Rüdesheimer Klosterlay Eiswein
This was on Bastille Day in Australia at Glebe Point Diner with a mate out from the US, before all the tragedy unfolded in France, horrible thing to wake up to.
Glebe Point Diner, service was fantastic once again, I did eat waaaay too much and the food is quite rich as an added bonus.