2013 Clos Vougeot Le Grand Maupertuis

Tasted blind at Fine & Rare Wines' Clos Vougeot tasting, the 2013 Clos Vougeot Grand Cru from Anne Gros has a comparatively intense bouquet compared to its peers, with black cherries and red plum, rose petals and orange blossom. The palate is medium-bodied with good fruit intensity, but the oak feels a little strong and there is a dustiness on the finish that deprives it of the precision it might have had. This feels like a good Clos Vougeot that has been a little compromised in the winery, though perhaps it will settle down with continued bottle age, as Anne's wines are prone to do.

Tasted blind. Mid greyish cherry red. Low key, already quite evolved nose. Lots of sweet, flattering, even slightly coffee-like fruit even if a little simple. Cherry compote flavours. Relatively fine tannins. Not for the very long term, methinks. No great persistence. (JR)

Deep red. Good ripeness to the aromas of raspberry and smoky oak; smells more concentrated than the Echézeaux. Dense, sappy and vibrant on the palate, with crushed berry flavors accented by pepper and herbs and given cut by surprising acidity. The crunchy pomegranate and pepper finishing flavors give this firmly tannic wine a youthful austerity. Quite taut for a 2013, made from millerandé grapes that did not rot.