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. (AG)

---

Show more

---

---

Show less

---

There is a subtle but certainly not invisible touch of brett to the otherwise cool, ripe and complex aromas of plum, red and dark berries, earth and plenty of spice nuances. There is both good volume and energy to the well-detailed broad-shouldered flavors that culminate in an edgy and mildly drying finale. It's hard to know how much of the problem with the finish is attributable to the brett as often there is gas when there is brett which causes the supporting tannins to seem more prominent. My score is a compromise as this is not a bad wine but it's obviously not technically perfect. Moreover it's entirely possible that other bottles would show quite differently if there was no brett. I will have to try another bottle to see if the problem is limited to just this bottle or whether it's systemic.

---

Show more

---

---

Show less

---