2018 Domaine Armand Rousseau, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

The 2018 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru is an excellent wine in the making, wafting from the glass with a complex bouquet of red berries, orange rind, raw cocoa, rich soil tones and grilled meats that's framed by a discrete application of cedary oak. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, deep and impressively racy, with lively acids, powdery tannins and a long, resonant finish.

The 2018 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru has an intriguing, involving bouquet, a mixture of red and blue fruit that is a little disjointed at first but coheres nicely with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent tannins, plenty of red fruit and a fleshy, silky finish. Very fine.

20% new oak. A little more ‘macho man’, suggests Cyrielle Rousseau, especially compared with the Mazis-Chambertin. Barrel sample. Seems to show a little more darkness of oak spice and be less bright fruited than the Mazis. Dark imposing power and massive concentration on the palate though the fruit is sweeter than I expected in the mouth. Still a firm, deep, seriously handsome devil. Sweet at heart but strong and well built. Depth, length and with firm tannins that are massive rather than grainy. (JH)