Description
94 – 96 Points, Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate, 31st Dec 2015
The 2014 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru, from 0.32 hectares of vines planted in 1950 and 1951, has a much more generous bouquet compared to the Chambolle-Amoureuses, tensile red cherry and raspberry coulis scents, wet limestone and just a hint of cassis in the background. It is very Clos de la Roche, to put it prosaically. The palate is very harmonious, silky smooth and elegant. There is fine weight in the mouth, though this is more about tension and elegance, with a gorgeous, sensual, satin-like touch to the finish. This could become one of the best wines from this vineyard.
“On a November morning that has no right to be that balmy, I pulled up outside the gates of Domaine de la Pousse d’Or in Volnay: week four, appointment one. As usual, I pressed the buzzer that activated both the PA and the man-eating canine that goes by the name of Gypsy. It’s not that I don’t want to get acquainted with Gypsy, it’s just that when he starts mauling me to death, I will at least know his name. Proprietor Patrick Landanger soon followed, bought the canine to heel, and we entered his vat-room to taste the domaine’s 2014s.
He told me that they cropped at just 20 hectoliters per hectare. This is partly due to hail that struck Burgundy on June 28, resulting in around half of the crop lost, up to 60% in others. August was fresh and being in the Cote de Beaune, they had no infestation of suzukii fruit flies, but September saw a marked improvement in the weather. The harvest commenced comparatively late on September 23 and then over the next seven days. They had to be careful on the sorting table as the fruit came into the vat-room. Everything here is destemmed, although Patrick told me that they left on some of the larger stems, never more than 5% however. The vinification passed normally and he intends to bottle at the end of January, on the beginning of February. He told me that he finds the 2014s to be aromatic and more powerful than the 2013s, the tannins fleshy.
Personally, I find much to like here. There is preponderance of black rather than red fruit on these wines that are perhaps a little modern in style, occasionally reminiscent of Domaine Perrot-Minot up in Morey-Saint-Denis, that convey an almost “vitamin-like” purity. The wines from Chambolle-Musigny did not quite match the quality that can be found in Volnay, partly because I think the hail naturally allowed Mother Nature to concentrate on the surviving berries. The Volnay Clos des 60 Ouvrees would be my personal pick. The Grand Crus are deeply impressive, including a quite mesmerizing Clos de la Roche and a sumptuous Bonnes-Mare. If these wines are good enough for Gypsy, then they are good enough for me.”
