2018 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes, Domaine Ponsot

2018 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes, Domaine Ponsot

An average of 60 year old vines, the oldest are over 80 years old. There are beautiful, wild, stony aromatics here, with delicate fruit and purity on the palate. This is unfurling, balanced and long, with amazing length and refined tannins. One of the best Grands Crus out there.

Critic score
95/100 info

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Wine details

  • Region & country
    Clos-de-la-Roche (Grand Cru), Morey-St-Denis, Côte de Nuits, Burgundy, France
  • Maturity
    Young 2024 - 2035info
  • Colour
    Red
  • Sweetness
    Dry
  • Style
    Still
  • Unit Volume
    Bottle (75cl.)
  • Organic
    Principally Organic
  • Classification
    Grand Cru (Vieilles Vignes)

Tasting notes

Ponsot's 2018 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru Cuvée Vieilles Vignes is a brooding, powerful wine, unfurling in the glass with a kaleidoscopic bouquet that marries deep fruit tones of dark berries and cassis with sweet nuances of smoked meats, licorice, dark chocolate and peonies. Full-bodied, broad-shouldered and muscular, it's deep and concentrated, with a layered core of fruit that's built around rich reserves of tannin and lively balancing acids. This appears to be the most structured Ponsot Clos de la Roche of the decade; it will demand patience, but it is a terrific wine in the making.

William Kelley, Wine Advocate (February 2020)
(94—96)/100
Domaine Ponsot

Domaine Ponsot’s cellar sits atop the hill overlooking the vineyards of Morey-St-Denis, with views stretching the length of the Côte de Nuits. They are one of the, if not the, defining domaines of the village, and the largest landowners in the hallowed terroir of Clos de la Roche Grand Cru, with over three hectares. They also proudly lay claim to the only premier cru Aligoté in Burgundy, with Clos des Monts Luisants responsible for a remarkable white with uniquely delicious flavours and a loyal following. The estate has been in the Ponsot family since 1872, when William Ponsot settled in Morey-St-Denis and bought up land including their only Chardonnay parcel, the premier cru Clos des Monts Luisants. Laurent Ponsot brought the estate to fame, with his flare for producing distinctive wines that broke the mould. His departure in 2017 saw the domaine transferred to the safe hands of his sister, Rose-Marie, and her nephew William and the appointment of régisseur, Alexandre Abel. Together they have ensured the domaine’s signature style of late picking their Pinot Noir, destemming, and exclusion of new oak during élevage continued seamlessly. These are intense, concentrated, and fabulously long-lived wines, keenly sought-out by the domaine’s many loyal followers.

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