2018 Clos de la Roche, Grand Cru, Domaine Dujac, Burgundy

They have 1.95 ha here 4.8 acres). Five blocks from Mont Luisants across to Les Chabiots, average age 50 years. Barrel sample.

A light note of smoky reduction. Ripe and dark. Sweet and sour. Intense and not yet integrated. Some baking spice and a touch of chocolate. Hard to judge this at the moment bit it certainly has massive fruit depth and richness and yet also a chalky mineral finish that pulls it in at the end. Embryonic but I think it will be a great wine. 

Drink 2028 - 2043

Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting.

The 2018 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru has a detailed bouquet with black cherry, veins of blue fruit, and an iris petal that unfurls with aeration. There is real intensity here, becoming quite flamboyant in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannins, quite structured with a fine grip, a bit chewy and solid, but there is potential here—a long-term Clos de la Roche that requires patience.

Drink 2027 - 2050

Discreet but not imperceptible wood and menthol characters set off very ripe liqueur-like aromas of black raspberry, cassis, floral, and plenty of sauvage nuances. The sleekly textured and impressively intense large-scaled flavours possess evident power on the dusty, serious, and palate-coating finish that is definitely quite grippy and a bit coarse, indeed even a bit chewy. I like the overall fruit/tannin/sap balance, and while it will take extended bottle age, this borderline massive wine should eventually mature into a magnificent CdlR.

Drink from 2038 onward

Unfurling in the glass with aromas of sweet berry fruit, dark chocolate, rose petals, orange rind, burning embers, and spices, the 2018 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru is full-bodied, layered, and muscular. Its deep, concentrated, and multidimensional core is framed by rich, powdery tannins and impressively lively acids. This dramatic wine hasn't yet shut down, but I wouldn't plan on opening bottles for at least a dozen years.

Drink 2030 - 2060

Dense, solid purple. There is an exceptional concentration of dark fruit here, which lifts beautifully as it aerates. It is fully ripe but hedonistically seductive. Perhaps some stems now begin to show, but they have been perfectly integrated. The palate shows similar seamless qualities. This may not take too long to come round, but it will last extremely well thereafter.

Drink from 2028 onward

Diana Snowden-Seysses describes this as a 'spectacular' Clos de la Roche, and no one who's tasted the wine would accuse her of hyperbole. Bolder and more concentrated than Dujac's Clos St Denis, this has impressive weight and fruit concentration, 75% whole bunches and 70% new wood. It is plush, sweet, and intense, with notes of black tea and Asian spices.

Drink 2026 - 2038