Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jasper Morris
From vines at least 80 years old right across the property, not just the principal block. The cuvée will represent about 8000 bottles. Generous rich purple, the nose offering something more sumptuous than the Classique. It starts discreetly though with a certain plumpness, then it opens out quite forcefully on the palate to much more structure behind. Then sweetly oaked, just needs an ounce more drive to it. 100% new wood.
Barrel Sample: 93-96 -
Decanter
The old vine bottling is produced from the central core of Château de la Tour's vineyards, from vines planted in 1910. The winemaking is essentially the same as the Cuvée Classique; ripe, well-sorted fruit is fermented as whole clusters with two pigeages each day, and racked into casks (about 80% new) to age. The whole-cluster ferment gives the wine a suggestion of menthol or garrigue, but the old-vine fruit delivers more finesse and elegance and a surprising freshness, grace and balance.
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Wine Enthusiast
A subtle but toasty note of oak mixes with red cherry on this wine's nose. The same aromatics appear on the toned palate but the cherry with its juicy freshness has the upper hand. Fine tannins provide a firm, smooth backdrop for the mouthwatering fruit and the nuanced aromas.
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Wine Spectator
Flashy, this red offers flamboyant oak and exotic Asian spice aromas and flavors draped over ripe cherry and plum fruit. It's harmonious and there are no edges, so give this time to integrate more fully. Shows terrific length. Best from 2024 through 2042. 150 cases imported.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Containing the largest Grand Cru in all of the Côte d’Or, Vougeot, the village, takes its name from the small stream flowing through it, called Vouge. Over three quarters of the village retains Grand Cru status, and a single vineyard at that: Clos de Vougeot (or simply, Clos Vougeot). Its mass—over 50 ha—retains the single name chiefly for historic reasons.
But today, Clos de Vougeot contains over 80 owners and shows significant soil and slope variations within its boundaries. The top, bordering Musigny and Grands Echezeaux, is calcareous and gravelly on oolitic limestone and exhibits wonderful drainage. The middle sections are limestone, gravel and clay with less of a slope. The lower part has little slant and is mostly made of clay. Historically the diverse parcels were blended but today the abundance of owners means that everyone has his own style. Exploring and understanding them is part of the allure of Clos de Vougeot.
In general a fine Clos de Vougeot when young will be dense and dark but juicy, with a pronounced austerity, and needs a good ten years to bring it to its full potential.