Domaine Hubert Lignier
Clos de la Roche Grand Cru Pinot Noir
Morey St. Denis, Côte de Nuits, Burgundy, France
Blinded, KP thought this was a Grenache which I felt was an excellent guess due to the ripeness and structure of the wine (notably, “Grenache” would only have led us down the path towards one producer 😉). Plus, I honestly think Grenache is just warm-climate Pinot 😂 (there I said it!).
With Grenache ruled out, I gave perhaps my best performance in a blind tasting during the trip - Burg, at least a premier cru from Morey or Gevrey, and a warm vintage (2000 I claimed!). Safe to say I got pretty close.
With games done and dusted, we were finally free to enjoy the wine, and what a wine it was. Boah! So good. My red and wine of the night. Terrific nose of dark cherries, earth, musk, black tea, dried roses and herbs, as well a touch of oak spice and meatiness. Powerful palate with an inner sweetness, assertive stoniness, and beautiful balancing acidity. It just caresses your mouth with layers of fruit and minerals, prompting the next sip before the brain could even register swallowing the last. I could chug this really, but that would be uncouth and a terrible disrespect to the wonderful nose. A wine that fits the coveted bill of “power with weight” perfectly. Thanks MJ for sharing this.
Blinded, KP thought this was a Grenache which I felt was an excellent guess due to the ripeness and structure of the wine (notably, “Grenache” would only have led us down the path towards one producer 😉). Plus, I honestly think Grenache is just warm-climate Pinot 😂 (there I said it!).
With Grenache ruled out, I gave perhaps my best performance in a blind tasting during the trip - Burg, at least a premier cru from Morey or Gevrey, and a warm vintage (2000 I claimed!). Safe to say I got pretty close.
With games done and dusted, we were finally free to enjoy the wine, and what a wine it was. Boah! So good. My red and wine of the night. Terrific nose of dark cherries, earth, musk, black tea, dried roses and herbs, as well a touch of oak spice and meatiness. Powerful palate with an inner sweetness, assertive stoniness, and beautiful balancing acidity. It just caresses your mouth with layers of fruit and minerals, prompting the next sip before the brain could even register swallowing the last. I could chug this really, but that would be uncouth and a terrible disrespect to the wonderful nose. A wine that fits the coveted bill of “power with weight” perfectly. Thanks MJ for sharing this.
Hubert Lignier's Clos de la Roche 2001 is an elegant beast—powerful in structure, layered and unfolding progressively, with fleshy texture, dark fruit, and black pepper intertwining. It's a very 'un-Roche' Roche. I've had AR's Roche and Dujac's Roche before, but neither had this kind of sheer power.
The 2014 DRC Richebourg exceeded expectations. I wasn't a big fan of the 2014 vintage before—it's a weaker year after all. But this one only started to open up after three hours of decanting, from 5 PM to 8 PM. I poured it three times over the evening, and each glass showed a different evolution:
· First glass: hawthorn and sour plum soup.
· Second glass: elegant rose perfume began to emerge, along with white pepper spice.
· Third glass: fully opened—red fruit, floral notes, and licorice intertwined, with a slender, lean, elegant frame—charming and refined, never cloying.
What a joyful evening. Both bottles were absolutely delightful!
Hubert Lignier's Clos de la Roche 2001 is an elegant beast—powerful in structure, layered and unfolding progressively, with fleshy texture, dark fruit, and black pepper intertwining. It's a very 'un-Roche' Roche. I've had AR's Roche and Dujac's Roche before, but neither had this kind of sheer power.
The 2014 DRC Richebourg exceeded expectations. I wasn't a big fan of the 2014 vintage before—it's a weaker year after all. But this one only started to open up after three hours of decanting, from 5 PM to 8 PM. I poured it three times over the evening, and each glass showed a different evolution:
· First glass: hawthorn and sour plum soup.
· Second glass: elegant rose perfume began to emerge, along with white pepper spice.
· Third glass: fully opened—red fruit, floral notes, and licorice intertwined, with a slender, lean, elegant frame—charming and refined, never cloying.
What a joyful evening. Both bottles were absolutely delightful!
Powerful, lush, classy. Dark berries. Bring on the roasted duck with cherry sauce.
Powerful, lush, classy. Dark berries. Bring on the roasted duck with cherry sauce.
Jul 16th, 2016Concentrated and very youthful. Fully destemmed. Clean, polished and sleek style. Not really my style.
Concentrated and very youthful. Fully destemmed. Clean, polished and sleek style. Not really my style.
Aug 21st, 2015
