📍East facing Grand Cru in Morey St. Denis of Côte de Nuits. The largest GC in MSD with 17ha which extended from 4.5 since 1861. Brown soil of limestone base mixed with clay and rocks. Barely 30cm deep. The greatest and the classiest Grand Cru of Morey St. Denis and among the best of Côte d’Or. Ample and structured wines they are. Deep colored, rich and powerfully flavoured with silky texture.
Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 🍷1994 Maison Roche De Bellene (Nicolas Potel) (🏅89). Negoce wine. Very developed. Fruits still present. Lots of iron. Tertiary aromas mostly and not all of them are so charming.
1994 Maison Roche De Bellene (Nicolas Potel) Clos de la Roche and 1995 Laboure-Roi Clos de la Roche 🍷1995 Laboure-Roi (🏅92). Large Negociant eleveur from Nuit St. Georges. When opened, was bit off & seemed down the hill. After some air showed good concentration of fruits. Good 1er Cru level. If tasted blind could be guessed as Barolo — dried rose, tar, sour cherry, quite tannic. 🍷1996 Dominique Laurent (🏅92+). Negoce wine. Powerful intense aromas. Lots of tar. Chambertin style — muscular, spices. Lots of black &red fruits, black cherry. Oaky, but doesn’t disturb.
1996 Dominique Laurent Clos de la Roche 🍷2007 Domaine Arlaud (🏅94+) Very pale color, unfiltered. Immense concentration and elegance of this 1st certified biodynamist in Morey St. Denis. Plenty of ripe sweetness, candied red berries. Compote of cranberries. Fully destemmed.
2007 Domaine Arlaud Clos de la Roche 🍷2005 Nicolas Potel (🏅93). Negoce eleveur. Dominated red berries, cherry, raspberries. Could be whole cluster vinification. The wine where vintage speaks for itself.
2005 Nicolas Potel Clos de la Roche 🍷2007 Dominique Laurent Vieilles Vignes (🏅92+) Expressive, maybe even excessive wine. Oaky. Powerful, muscular. 10yrs apart from the previous and style is very similar.
2007 Dominique Laurent Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes 🍷2003 Domaine Dujac (🏅97+) Top wine! Power of wild forest strawberry, black cherry, violets. Chocolate and black pepper on the palate. Developes in dried black plum, game. Textbook wine and the benchmark of Clos de la Roche terroir (together with Ponsot of course) The wine for a calm meditation.
2003 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche 🍷1991 Domaine Louis Remy (🏅NR) Reductive opening. Over the hill, tired. Lots of iron and wet cellar.