Domaine Ponsot : Clos de la Roche Grand cru "Cuvée Vieilles Vignes" 2021

Tasting notes and serving tips for the Clos de la Roche Grand Cru "Cuvée Vieilles Vignes" 2021 from Domaine Ponsot

Tasting

Color
The color reveals a deep ruby hue with subtly garnet highlights, reflecting the fruit’s exceptional concentration.

Nose
The nose opens on a delicate harmony of dark fruits: raspberries, blackberries, and blackcurrant form a fresh, mineral aromatic palette. With aeration, the bouquet gains complexity, unveiling notes of exotic spices, candied citrus zest, raw cocoa, and damp undergrowth. The aromatic expression stands out for its remarkable precision and transparency.

Palate
On the palate, the wine unfurls a remarkably balanced structure. The tannic texture is silky and confident, with no harshness. The body sits between medium and full, offering savory concentration without excessive weight. Acidity brings invigorating freshness and a dynamic tension that perfectly supports the fruit. The aromatic profile reveals notes of red and black fruits, black pepper, violet, and truffle. A distinct minerality, typical of the terroir, returns on the finish with hints of wet stone and chalk. The finish is long and saline, lingering for several seconds with class and definition.

Food and wine pairings

This Clos de la Roche Grand Cru "Cuvée Vieilles Vignes" 2021 pairs particularly well with game and richly flavored meats. It is a superb match for duck, goose, and game birds. Noble red meats such as braised or roasted lamb also make harmonious pairings, as do mushroom-based dishes and aged cheeses.

Serving and cellaring

The Clos de la Roche Grand Cru "Cuvée Vieilles Vignes" 2021 can be enjoyed now but will continue to evolve until at least 2057. An optimal drinking window opens from 2032. This wine offers exceptional aging potential of more than 30 years, typical of Burgundy’s very greatest wines.

An emblematic Burgundy Grand Cru from Domaine Ponsot, marked by freshness and elegance

The estate

Founded in 1872 by William Ponsot in Morey-Saint-Denis, Domaine Ponsot is among Burgundy’s oldest winegrowing families. Now run by Rose-Marie Ponsot, the estate farms eight hectares of vines spread across the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune, including six parcels classified as Grand Cru. A pioneer in clonal selection and estate bottling as early as the 1920s, the domaine stands out for its non-intervention philosophy and absolute respect for terroir. Clos de la Roche remains the historic emblem of the estate, of which Ponsot is the largest single owner, with three of the four original hectares of the climat.

The vineyard

Clos de la Roche is a Grand Cru located in the commune of Morey-Saint-Denis, recognized since 1936. The Domaine Ponsot Cuvée Vieilles Vignes comes from vines averaging around 65 years of age, planted over 3.2 hectares at a density of 11,000 vines per hectare. Two-thirds of the grapes come from the Clos de la Roche climat itself, and one-third from the foot of the adjacent slope of Clos des Monts-Luisants. The terroir is characterized by an extremely poor soil, rarely more than 30 centimeters deep, made up of clay earth mixed with limestone scree resting on a bedrock of fine limestones. The exposure is slightly southeast at an altitude of around 250 meters. The vineyard is farmed using environmentally respectful practices, without synthetic pesticides or insecticides, with manual work or light mechanical cultivation that preserves the soil’s living structure.

The vintage

The 2021 vintage in Burgundy stands out as one of the most difficult years of the recent century. After a mild, humid winter, an exceptional rise in temperatures in early April triggers early budbreak. On the night of April 4, a mass of polar air abruptly descends on the region, bringing severe, widespread frosts between April 6 and 9 that affect the entire Burgundy vineyard. In Morey-Saint-Denis, the damage is catastrophic, with Domaine Ponsot’s yields dropping to just 8 to 9 hectoliters per hectare. Summer unfolds under the sign of instability, with heavy rains from late June to early August, requiring constant vigilance against fungal diseases. A respite comes in mid-August with the return of dry conditions. Veraison occurs around mid-August, followed by an autumnal stretch leading up to harvest. Harvesting of Clos de la Roche at Domaine Ponsot begins on September 28, around ten days later than the regional average. Despite these extreme adversities, the vintage reveals remarkable freshness and elegance.

Winemaking and aging

The winemaking of the Clos de la Roche Grand Cru "Cuvée Vieilles Vignes" 2021 follows the estate’s philosophy, based on flexibility and adaptation to each vintage. Harvesting is done by hand into small wicker baskets, with sorting carried out directly in the vineyard. Destemming is selective depending on the year. The grapes ferment in thermoregulated conical wooden vats with indigenous yeasts, without commercial inoculation. Maceration lasts between 10 and 20 days, with punch-downs adjusted to the conditions of the vintage. Sulfur dioxide use remains extremely minimal, if not nonexistent, with the estate using inert nitrogen to protect the wine from oxidation. Aging takes place over 18 months in French oak barrels with an average age of 20 years, the estate categorically refusing the use of new oak. Only one racking is carried out, as late as possible after malolactic fermentation. The wine is bottled without filtration or fining, thus preserving all of its substance and aromatic complexity.

Grape variety

Pinot noir (100%)