2008 Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru
By Ponsot
2008 Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru from Ponsot, Burgundy, France
In the sphere of fine Burgundian wines, few have the poise and gravitas of the 2008 Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru from Ponsot. This impeccable vintage arises from one of Burgundy's most celebrated Grand Cru plots and carries the distinctive signature of Ponsot's meticulous vinification processes. A challenging season across Burgundy, 2008 bestowed wines of complex character, marked by elegance and profound depth.
An Oenophile's Dream: Complexity and Elegance Interwoven
The 2008 vintage unfurls a tapestry of subtle contrasts, with cooler climatic nuances sharpening the varietal expressions. Our protagonist here is testament to that very fact: Ponsot's old vines in the Clos de la Roche parcel have yielded a potent concoction marinated in terroir-driven finesse. Despite a tumultuous growing season, marked by early summer rains and a late harvest, Ponsot mastered the elements to produce a wine that exhibits both austerity and vitality—a harmonious balance not easily found.
A Vintage Upon Which Investors Can Bank
For fine wine investors seeking both maturity and longevity, this Grand Cru makes an irresistible proposal. It broadcasts complexity through its structured layers: notes of ripened cherries and blackcurrant musk are interlaced with whispers of truffle and wet earth, indicative of its noble pedigree. The 2008 vintage may not have been hailed as the most straightforward year for Burgundian vintners, but it is precisely this climatic adversity that underscores the singular triumphs ardently sought by collectors and connoisseurs alike.
Time has been generous to the 2008 Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru from Ponsot. It now reveals a poised balance between its well-defined acid structure and softened tannins—an attractive point for investment potential. With judicious cellar aging, one can expect this wine to unveil its full narrative arc; a story rich in subtlety, grace, and Gevrey-Chambertin muscle that evolves splendidly in the glass.
To encapsulate, the 2008 Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes from Ponsot is an exquisite reflection of a rigorous season transmuted into bottled brilliance—a wise contemplation for portfolios orientated towards the pinnacle of Burgundy's offerings.
Market price (GBP)
£3,990.00
12x75cl
Highest score
96
POP score
249.38
Scores and tasting notes
The 2008 Clos de la Roche Cuvee Vieilles Vignes is a silky, elegant wine. Freshly cut roses, dark red fruit and minerals sit on a core of utterly refined tannins. This shows stunning balance in a weightless style that gains energy on the clean, focused finish. This is a fabulous effort from Ponsot. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2033. This set of 2009s from Laurent Ponsot was among the finest I tasted. The wines are simply dazzling from top to bottom. Ponsot was among the last to harvest in 2009, essentially starting when most, if not all, of his colleagues already had the fruit in their cellars. The fruit was 100% destemmed and the wines were vinified in oak vats. The wines were then racked into barrel for the malos, where many of them stayed with no further rackings. There is no new oak at Ponsot. The barrels range from 5 to 50 years of age. The range now includes a head spinning eleven Grand Crus, which now total an astonishing 70% of the estate’s total production. Ordinarily I would suggest cellaring the top 2009s for a minimum of 15 years or so, but now that Ponsot is bottling all of his wines with synthetic plastic corks made in Italy it is hard to know exactly how the wines will develop. I tasted all of the 2009s from barrel, where they had been aging since finishing their malolactic fermentations. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802
Antonio Galloni - The Wine Advocate, 1 May 2011