2012 Clos de la Roche

The 2012 Clos de la Roche has a perfumed bouquet with rose petals scents joining the fresh strawberry, pomegranate and cranberry aromas. There is an airiness to the aromatics that is quite appealing. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannins, but overall it is balance and tensile, with good acidity on the sinewy finish. Give this 2 or 3 years in bottle to mellow. Fine.

Healthy medium red. Soil-driven aromas of mocha, brown spices, rose petal, fresh herbs and mint. Distinctly less fruity in the early going than the Charmes, displaying serious medicinal reserve and strong saline minerality. Finishes minty and tight, with little in the way of easy sweetness. This was much more tangy from barrel in November of 2013 and will require extended aging.

Gorgeous, sumptuous nose with classy vanilla oak and ripe raspberry fruit. Delicious spicing, milled tannins, lovely persistence. Very classy, although the oak has the better of the fruit at the moment. (RH)