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Clos de la Roche 1990 75cl

AOC Grand Cru | Côte de Nuits | Burgundy | France
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Critics scores
100 By Robert Parker
The Clos de la Roche offers a smorgasbord of aromas, ranging from scents of new saddle leather, black-plums, black-raspberries, minerals, and smoked duck, to oriental spices. In the mouth, the first impression is one of an extraordinarily layered wine with a texture akin to biting into a chewy candy. It is sweet, rich, full and dense, yet everything is so well-defined. The finish lasts for over a minute. When should one consume a wine such as this? It should be at its best between 1996-2010 . It is a shame that the precipitous decline of our currency has eroded the 40% price breaks the Domaine Leroy is offering on its 1990s. The grands crus are magical wines. The two best burgundies I tasted in the 1990 vintage were Lalou's 1990 Clos de la Roche and 1990 Chambertin. Last year from cask I thought it would be the Clos de la Roche and Richebourg, but now that the wines are in the bottle, I cannot see the Richebourg matching the amazing complexity of the Clos de la Roche, or the sheer power and intensity of the Chambertin.
Producer
Domaine Leroy
As it became increasingly difficult to find wines that met the high standards of the Maison Leroy label, Madame Lalou Bize-Leroy decided to purchase her own vineyards. Piecing together several estates, she established Domaine Leroy in 1988. Today, the vineyards stretch over 21-hectares across mostly Grand Cru and Premier Cru classified zones. Following Lalou Bize-Leroy’s deep-rooted belief that everything is alive – from the soil to the grapes to humanity – she immediately introduced biodynamic farming out of respect for the terroir. This formerly controversial cultivation practice, is now a widely-known holistic approach that focuses on the interconnectedness of our environment – taking into account astrological and cosmic influences as well. Without the use of any chemical fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, or pesticides the vineyards are tended to year round – everything is hand done. The results of this quality-conscious producer are astounding. The wines are extremely concentrated yet refined, with a rare purity that stems from the property’s intuitive vineyards.