2018 Armand Rousseau Hospices Clos de la Roche
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Tasting notes
The 2018 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru has an intriguing, involving bouquet, a mixture of red and blue fruit that is a little disjointed at first but coheres nicely with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent tannins, plenty of red fruit and a fleshy, silky finish. Very fine.
Critic scores
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
The 2018 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru is an excellent wine in the making, wafting from the glass with a complex bouquet of red berries, orange rind, raw cocoa, rich soil tones and grilled meats that's framed by a discrete application of cedary oak. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, deep and impressively racy, with lively acids, powdery tannins and a long, resonant finish.
20% new oak. A little more ‘macho man’, suggests Cyrielle Rousseau, especially compared with the Mazis-Chambertin. Barrel sample. Seems to show a little more darkness of oak spice and be less bright fruited than the Mazis. Dark imposing power and massive concentration on the palate though the fruit is sweeter than I expected in the mouth. Still a firm, deep, seriously handsome devil. Sweet at heart but strong and well built. Depth, length and with firm tannins that are massive rather than grainy. (JH)