Domaine Ponsot - Clos De La Roche Vieilles Vignes 2015 (1.5L)

 From vines planted in 1905 producing only 12 hectolitres per hectare this year. Exquisite fruit with great aromatic intensity and purity, quintessential Pinot. Beautifully textured attack, ripe and spicy despite the absence of new oak. A taut, intense acidity lends amazing verve and flair. Very long and structured, with a long life ahead. (Drink between 2021-2040)

 A kaleidoscopically spicy and subtly floral nose is even more discreet if patently classier with its lovely aromas of red and dark cherry liqueur, lilac, tea and softly anise-tinged aromas. The sweet, pure and understated flavors are underpinned by firm and dense but quite fine tannins that support the mouth coating, indeed palate staining finish that is impeccably well-balanced and sneaky long. There is ample sap to buffer the structure and unlike many of these grands crus, this should actually be approachable young. In sum, this is a magnificent CSD. (Drink starting 2033)

The 2015 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru Cuvée Vieilles Vignes continues to show very well, and as it settles down in bottle, the tangy acids that underpin its ripe, sun-kissed fruit are becoming more apparent. Aromas of red berry compote, plums, blackberries, dark chocolate and peonies introduce a full-bodied, powerful wine with considerable mid-palate amplitude, structured around fine-grained tannins that are coming to the fore now that this Clos de la Roche it tightening up in bottle—though they remain largely cloaked in the wine's lavish core of fruit. It's an excellent wine, and I see no reason to alter my score or drinking window given earlier this year.