2019

Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes

Grand Cru

Domaine Ponsot

Description

2019 "Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes" Grand Cru AC, 
Domaine Ponsot 

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
The king of the cellar is predictably the 2019 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru Cuvée Vieilles Vignes, and equally predictably, it was the most reserved and introverted wine in the cellar when I visited. Wafting from the glass with aromas of peonies, plums, cherries, orange rind, warm spices and rich soil tones, it's full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, with huge concentration, an elegantly muscular chassis of rich, powdery tannins and a long, resonant finish. Domaine Ponsot started picking on September 20, and winemaker Alexandre Abel reported yields some 35% to 40% below average, with alcohols in the 14s and healthy pHs at around 3.3. Yet while alcohols in 2019 were if anything higher than in 2018, the 2019 wines are more elegant, with livelier fruit tones and less overtly muscular structure. That's not a criticism of the 2018s, however, which we revisited from bottle, confirming that they are wines that will require patience: interestingly, the most put-together of the range was the Clos de la Roche, a cuvée that was bottled last, in July 2020, and which certainly seemed to have profited from the longer élevage. 

Decanter:
Ponsot is the largest landowner here, with old vines whose average age is 65 years. Everything at Ponsot is calculated for maximum purity of expression: the fruit is completely destemmed, extraction is gentle and no new casks are used in the maturation. The results in 2019 are absolutely marvellous, with lush dark plum and cassis fruit, alongside savoury, earthy accents. The texture is silky, dense and long. A monumental wine.