2011 Maison Roche de Bellene, Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru

Tasted blind at the Burgundy 2011 horizontal tasting in Beaune. The Clos Saint Denis Grand Cru 2011 has a very pure bouquet with intense black cherries, blackcurrant pastilles, crushed violets and crème de cassis: modern in style and beautifully executed. The palate is medium-bodied with svelte tannins. This feels plush and rounded in the mouth, and though there is not great depth, there is fine focus and harmony plus a very long tail on the finish with notes of blackberry, white pepper and a touch of sage. There is still some unresolved oak here, but give this 5 or 6 years in bottle and you will have a splendid Clos Saint Denis.

Good medium red. Discreet, perfumed aromas of flowers, miso and dried spices. Smooth and velvety but a bit drier than the Richebourg. This is rather reduced today, and with a bit less flesh than the Richeboug the tannins come across as rather pronounced. The finishing notes of pepper and herbs give the wine good lingering aromatic character.