I haven’t been drinking much this year but curiosity got the better of me and so I popped this.
2009 Clusel-Roch Côte-Rôtie Les Grandes Places
I am still figuring out these wines and this again threw me for a loop. This is an exceptionally well-made wine. The fruit is extremely ripe and deep - these vines are crazy old (1920s/30s) - but it is channeled beautifully with stunning definition. At first it comes off a bit oaky and anonymous, and the oak sense does hang around but with air things turn more savory and become nicely integrated. The fruit is huge but the shape is just right. A very crisp edge of salinity rounds out the palate. The old-vine depth just takes over everything. Aristocratic - and that is great; I yearn for a more feral expression of Syrah, but this is really swell stuff, and probably 10 years from full transubstantiation.
JLL gave this one six stars.
. I will report back in 10-20 years it seems.