1990 Clos St Denis
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Tasting notes
The 1990 Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru did not quite match the stellar performance of the bottle at Tour d’Argent, although it came close. It certainly equaled that previous bottle on the nose, which is simply gorgeous, offering very pure red berry fruit that recalls Armand Rousseau in terms of ethereal purity and precision, and hints of orange blossom and bay leaf. There is something almost haunting about this bouquet that leaves you riveted to the spot. The palate… Well, the palate doesn’t quite “seal the deal” like the previous bottle. Why? Just because the warmth of the growing season seems to shape this bottle a little more, leaving it rounded and sensual, fleshy and almost corpulent on the savory finish, with Earl Grey on the aftertaste. It is still an utterly gorgeous Clos Saint-Denis, but from my own experience, there are superior bottles out there. Tasted at the Clos Saint-Denis vertical at Hide restaurant.
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Robert Parker
Neal Martin
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The 1990 Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru is an outstanding wine. The stem addition imparts a more mature, degraded color than the Laurent Ponsot’s 1990 Clos Saint-Denis poured in tandem. Indeed, those stem have manifested an ineffably complex bouquet whereby that stalky character intermingles with the richness of the fruit in that warm season to create those multifarious aromas: wild heather, sage, white flowers, Earl Grey and Lapsong Souchang, later dried blood over a constant theme of red brambly fruit. The delineation here is exquisite. The palate is medium-bodied with light tannin than I anticipated considering the growing season, structured yet nimble on its feet with heart-stopping notes of black truffle and sous-bois on the finish that is elegant and refined. My suspicion is that this wine is at its peak. [N.B. A second bottle opened two nights later, also from the cellars of Tour d’Argent, did not show as well and was outclassed by the 1990 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Combottes.]
About the producer
Domaine Dujac is one of Burgundy’s most famous wine estates. It crafts red Burgundies with a distinct style, from a fantastic array of vineyard plots, including seven Grands Crus.