2017 Clos Vougeot
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Tasting notes
0.5 ha, hit by frost in 2016. 60% whole bunch. Maximum 30% new oak. Mid crimson. Riper and darker than the Corvées Pagets just tasted, more black cherry than red. Almost earthy but in a good way. Spiced and noticeably more chewy and muscular than the Corvées Pagets, the most obviously tannic of the Arnoux-Lachaux wines so far (but it’s relative as this domaine has made delicate structure an art form). There’s still a chocolate smoothness here (no chocolate flavour), and all more embryonic than any wine tasted so far. Less charm, more structure but still has the freshness that characterises the house style. (JH)
Critic scores
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
The 2017 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru is 60% whole bunch fruit. It has a very natural, precise bouquet of almost crystalline red fruit infused with crushed stone, all correct and very focused. The well-balanced, tensile palate offers fresh acidity and an infectious sense of energy. Why can’t all Clos Vougeot be as refined and enthralling as this? Outstanding.
Vinified with fully 80% whole cluster, the 2017 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru offers up aromas of cherry, cassis and rose petal that mingle with savory bass notes of soil, incense and smoke. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, deep and richly tannic, with a firm, somewhat blocky profile that is quintessentially Clos Vougeot, displaying excellent concentration in a year where frosted vines tended to yield generously. This is one of the cuvées that is making the most rapid progress at this address and it's well worth following.