2014 Corton Clos du Roi

Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2014 tasting, the 2014 Corton Grand Cru Clos du Roi from de Montille offers what you might call a noble bouquet befitting a grand cru with a complex, quite captivating mélange of dark berry fruit, sous bois and tea leaves. The palate is medium-bodied with some stem addition that defines the first half. But it works well: fresh and lively, sufficient fruit with a harmonious and quite persistent finish. Certainly this was one of the best wines that was shown at this blind tasting from the domaine. Tasted September 2017.

(vinified with 100% whole clusters): Medium red, showing a hint of evolution at the rim. Not quite as primary or precise on the nose as the Pommard Rugiens, offering aromas of redcurrant, red cherry, mocha and underbrush. Supple and broad, conveying a restrained sweetness to its flavors of red cherry, earth and dried flowers. The dusty, palate-coating tannins avoid dryness on the persistent finish. This wine typically opens early, notes winemaker Brian Sieve, but it's not yet really coming alive. I'd hold it for three years.