Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2006 Armand Rousseau

Region: Côte de Nuits                                       Vintage: 2006

Appellation: Clos de la Roche Grand Cru      Grape: Pinot Noir

Producer: Eric Rousseau                                  Format: 75cl

Clos de la Roche is one of five Grand Crus in Morey-Saint-Denis and takes its name from a large rock (roche) used in Celtic times for rituals.

The original Clos was classified as a Première Cuvée by Jules Lavalle in 1855 with a total area of 4.57 hectares. Several neighbouring climats:

Mochamps, Froichots, Fremières, Chabiots and Monts-Luisants-Bas were added at the time of the AOC Grand Cru status decree in 1936.

Another expansion occurred in 1971 when parts of Genavrières and Chaffots were included by the INAO. This additional territory has taken

today's surface area to 16.9 hectares. Clos de la Roche is east facing on a gentle slope at an altitude of 270 to 300 metres. The brown topsoil,

a mix of clay and limestone scree with large boulders very close to the surface is hardly 30 cm deep in some places. These hard rocky soils

make for a well-structured, powerful yet elegant wine capable of long ageing.

A brooding yet softly perfumed nose features a pretty mix of both red and dark berry aromas that are just beginning to display some secondary

development along with background nuances of spice and exotic tea. The delicious and relatively accessible medium-bodied flavors exude a

discreet minerality on the complex, balanced and lingering finish where the buried structure arrives just at the end. For my taste this definitely

hasn't yet arrived at its peak though the excellent mid-palate density would easily allow this beauty to be enjoyed now. That said I would advise

holding this for another 5ish years first. In sum, this is altogether lovely as about the only nit is a finishing hint of warmth.

Tasted: Apr 24, 2015 / Score: 93

Allen Meadows, Burghound.com