2012 Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes

“Interestingly this is even spicier with its own very broad array of spice elements that seemingly change with each whiff of the markedly ripe nose. The ripeness carries over to the dense, serious and overtly powerful big-bodied and imposingly scaled flavors that also possess seemingly unlimited reserves of palate coating dry extract that impart a velvety texture but also buffer the very firm tannins on the massively persistent finish. This is a big wine even by the outsized standards of a great Clos de la Roche yet the balance is faultless. This should be great in time. *Don't miss!*” (01/2014)

“This too is a brilliant wine in the making. The nose seems a bit riper at this stage of its evolution than the stunning Clos St. Denis, but it is a bottomless and very complex blend of sappy black cherries, black plums, espresso, woodsmoke, dark chocolate, roasted venison and a very complex base of soil. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and powerfully built, with a sappy core, superb soil signature, ripe, velvety tannins and superb length and grip on the still very primary finish. Perhaps over the coming decades the Clos de la Roche will close the gap with the 2012 Clos St. Denis, as there is clearly enormous potential here, and it will be fascinating to see how these two titans unfold in the fullness of time. 96+” (11/2013)

“The 2012 Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru from Laurent Ponsot has an extravagant, generous nose with hints of kirsch and raisin infusing the cranberry and blueberry fruit. Fortunately it does seem to calm down in the glass, rein in some of that nascent enthusiasm. The palate is sweet on the entry with red fruit, marmalade and dried orange peel. This is a grand cru that just wants to go out and please, a sexy Pinot Noir that does not hold back, which is what you want from this grand cru. This is a tempting offering, so much so that it is easy to overlook its pedigree. (NM)” (10/2015)

“On average, 60-year-old vines. Very sumptuous. Extremely ripe and voluptuous. I am not given to female parallels but Sophia Loren popped into my head when I tasted this wine. Full on, fully developed and all washes over you. No teenage tantrums here! Great balance in the mouth and it feels so confident that you could surely drink it relatively soon if you had no self control. A hedonist's delight. 19/20 points (JR)” (12/2013)