Vinous (93-95)

The 2018 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru is matured with 30% whole bunch and 20% new oak. The superb bouquet presents a mélange of red and black fruit, sous-bois and blood orange aromas that blossom from the glass. The medium-bodied palate delivers supple tannins and finely judged acidity. Quite compact for a Clos de la Roche, with noticeable backbone on the finish. It will require several years in bottle but it should be worth the wait.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (93-97)

A relatively deep purple. The nose just shows a little bit of cooked fruit. More peonies perhaps and an interesting sombre dark fruit overall. I think this may be 14+ too (but it is not apparently). It comes over fresher on the palate and certainly with a most astonishing intensity. If the slight lack of freshness is a sample issue then this could be mind-blowing and a certain five stars. Fresh stems behind. Exceptionally long finish.

Vinous (87)

Medium red. Briary, slightly medicinal aromas of chocolate and cherry. Sweeter, deeper and livelier than the Charmes-Chambertin, with a rich, velvety texture. Finishes sweeter, with fine, enrobed tannins.

Wine Advocate (90)

The 1999 Clos de la Roche from Armand Rousseau went through an awkward youth, when it felt hard and rather disjointed. Now with 15 years on the clock, it is showing better than it used to. The nose is broody and taciturn at first, eventually revealing dusky, brambly red fruit with hints of cola and soy. The palate is medium-bodied with a fleshy core of red fruit and well-judged acidity. The tannins are much finer than I recall, having softened with time, and there is an appealing weightless intensity toward the finish. No, it is not one of the Charles Rousseau’s best 1999s, but it is finally beginning to show its class. Drink now-2020+. Tasted January 2014.

Wine Advocate (90)

Rousseau's 2000 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru is quite successful in this vintage, and it's certainly still full of life, opening in the glass with a pretty bouquet of red cherry, strawberry, subtle mint, mustard seed and potpourri. On the palate, the wine is supple, polished and velvety, with decent concentration and depth, and suggestions of baked fruit on the palate. The Clos de la Roche is never Rousseau's most compelling grand cru, but it would be churlish to deny that this is excellent.

Wine Spectator (93)

Bright and laced with cherry, spice and mineral flavors, this supple red has well-integrated tannins and picks up a licorice tinge on the finish. Not flashy, but intense and long. Best from 2013 through 2023. 42 cases imported. -BS

Vinous (94-96+)

The 2010 Clos de la Roche is fascinating to taste after the Mazis. The Clos de la Roche is all about power, structure and length, qualities it has in spades. There is huge depth and serious extract to the fruit, with equally big tannins to provide support. Layers of intense fruit are intermingled with persistent saline notes on the vibrant, finely chiseled finish. It will take years for the tannins to start melting away, but when they do the 2010 will be a dazzling wine. Actually, it already is.

Vinous (93-95)

The 2019 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru is highly perfumed on the nose, presenting an irresistible mixture of red and subtle blue fruit, very harmonious and exquisitely defined. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins. A feminine and very elegant Clos de la Roche that may well be earlier-drinking than others but feels very poised, with a touch of spice on the finish. Excellent.

Vinous (93-95)

The 2020 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru has a quintessential nose for this vineyard, quite flamboyant yet still with that Rousseau sense of control and elegance, a melange of red and black fruit, touches of wet stone and undergrowth. The palate is medium-bodied with a supple entry, fine weight and density, veering more towards the red fruit profile with a dash of black pepper on the finish. This was once the weak card in Rousseau's pack. That is the case no longer.

Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (90-93)

Good deep red. Redcurrant, mocha, minerals and cinnamon on the nose; smells more important than the Clos Saint-Denis. A step up in concentration and power, with considerably more stuffing than the last wine. Finishes persistent and ripe.

Wine Advocate (96)

The Seysses’ 2005 Clos de la Roche charts new territory in this collection for sheer intensity. Black cherry, kirsch distillate, cedar, incense, iron filings, wet stone, and roasted meats and coffee represent a few of the immediate aromatic suggestions forced on this taster. In the mouth, it is similarly compelling, with an eruption of clear black cherry, cassis, and meat juices, faintly bitter notes of fruit skin and pungent herbal and mineral notes adding complexity. The texture is incipiently velvety, imposingly glossy, and a perfect cover for fine, abundant tannins. Spectacularly rich and reverberative in its multifaceted finish, this sensational wine deserves at least a decade of rest before re-opening.

Wine Advocate (96)

The Seysses’ 2005 Clos de la Roche charts new territory in this collection for sheer intensity. Black cherry, kirsch distillate, cedar, incense, iron filings, wet stone, and roasted meats and coffee represent a few of the immediate aromatic suggestions forced on this taster. In the mouth, it is similarly compelling, with an eruption of clear black cherry, cassis, and meat juices, faintly bitter notes of fruit skin and pungent herbal and mineral notes adding complexity. The texture is incipiently velvety, imposingly glossy, and a perfect cover for fine, abundant tannins. Spectacularly rich and reverberative in its multifaceted finish, this sensational wine deserves at least a decade of rest before re-opening.

Wine Advocate (94+)

Dujac's 2017 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru is more reserved that the Clos Saint-Denis, unwinding in the glass with scents of red berries, plums, orange rind, cinnamon, peonies and sweet soil tones. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, serious and layered, with muscular structure, lively acids and a long, perfumed finish. While this remains a comparatively accessible, finesse-driven Clos de la Roche, at least a decade's patience will be required to see this begin to realize its potential.

Vinous (97)

The 2018 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru is beguiling and pure on the nose with perfumed red cherries, raspberry and cranberry - blossoming with aeration. The palate is everything that you really wish for in a Clos de la Roche: impressive structure, multi-layered red fruit, mineralité that belies the warmth of the summer and a compelling fresh and sapid finish that urges you back to the glass. What a brilliant wine. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting.

Discover the allure of the distinguished Jacky Truchot Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2005. This exemplar produced in Morey-Saint-Denis, Burgundy, France, is a tribute to the dedicated wine-making practices of Jacky Truchot. Histories of personal touch echo in its delightful complexity. The blend of Pinot Noir diligently aged in oak barrels provides a sensuous confluence of red and black berries nuanced by earthy undertones. Intricate moulding of the vineyard's limestone-clay soils birthed this velvety, full-bodied wine.

Critics extol its excellent balance and harmonious integration, ageing potentiality, impeccable acidity, and fine-grained tannins as extraordinary. Jacky Truchot's distinct approach to minimal intervention and initial fermentation with indigenous yeasts preserves the unadulterated character. The Jacky Truchot Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2005 epitomises craftsmanship blending tradition and innovation. Taste the legacy of this cherished Grand Cru, a must-have for any seasoned wine aficionado.

Escape into the world of fine wines with the Jacky Truchot Clos Roche Vv 2005. Originating from the legendary vineyards of Burgundy, France, this masterful rendition by renowned winemaker Jacky Truchot showcases the authentic terroir of its creation. Made from centenary vines of Pinot Nero, or "Vieilles Vignes", you're met with evolved and intense aromas. With a reputation for elegance and longevity, the wine has a heightened complexity that begs for a deeper exploration.

Truchot’s minimal approach adheres to traditional vinification methods involving wild yeast fermentation and minimal filtration. With an ageing period in barriques for about 18 months, it balances fruit purity and fine tannin structure. The wine's structure and intensity enhance its ageing potential while affirming its status as a collector's gem. Enjoy the rich, deep-balanced fruitiness of Jacky Truchot Clos Roche Vv 2005, a true connoisseur's delight, destined to leave a lasting impression.

Vinous (94+)

Red-ruby. Forceful aromas of briary dark berries, plum, smoke, coffee and earth, with the subtle vegetal/herbal complexity that is the essence of this grand cru. Tight and bright, but a wine of great intensity and richness, with compelling chewy depths. Less tasteable today than the Combottes but this has more dimension and class. Finishes extremely subtle and long. This will require patience.

Vinous (95)

Bright ruby-red. Knockout nose combines strawberry, underbrush, minerals and stone; like a fully ripe essence of Clos de la Roche. Superconcentrated and sweet, with the wine's distinct minerality giving it class and definition. Superripe but not over the top. Silky and full; a nobler version of the superb Combottes. Finishes tannic, minerally and very long, with a lingering juiciness. Captures the great potential of this vintage.

Vinous (96+)

Good medium red. Highly nuanced, soil-driven aromas of strawberry, flinty minerality, roasted herbs and crushed rocks. Powerful and stunningly pure, with explosive fruit framed and complicated by pungent minerality and high notes of pepper and spice. This extremely primary wine boasts outstanding precision but is almost brutal today. The tannins reach the incisors on the extremely long and tactile finish.

Vinous (95)

Good deep red. Highly nuanced nose combines red cherry, smoked meat, underbrush and pepper. Wild, sexy and sweet, with lovely energy and sap to the complex flavors of red fruits, minerals, pepper and herbs. A real essence of Clos de la Roche, finishing with palate-saturating persistence.

Vinous (95+)

Bright, deep red. Slightly reduced but already remarkably nuanced nose combines strawberry, raspberry, musky game, truffley underbrush and dried flowers. Silky and fat on entry, then builds on the back half, gaining in fullness, energy and power. Peppery, earthy spices add complexity to the savory, very long finish, which has the tannic clout to require 10 to 15 years of patience. Should be another in a growing collection of great Clos de la Roche bottlings from this domain.

Vinous (99)

There are so many captivating wines in this tasting, but the 2015 Clos de la Roche seems to just have a little something extra. Ethereal, delicate and nuanced, especially in this context of much richer wines, the Clos de la Roche makes its case more with persistence and nuance rather than pure power. The bright red stone fruit, mineral and floral notes are all sketched with crystalline precision in a hauntingly beautiful Burgundy that hits all the right notes. I can only hope I will have a chance to taste the 2015 when it has had a few years (or more) in bottle.

Vinous (94)

The 2018 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru is a little confit and jammy on the nose, though the fruit is attractive, wild strawberry and raspberry, touches of orange pith. It coheres impressively in the glass despite a touch of reduction. The palate is medium-bodied with chiselled tannins. Plenty of freshness here, saline, vibrant and bright, this fans out gloriously towards the finish with a persistent, spicy, slightly exotic finish that does not detract from typicité. Big things ahead. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting.

Vinous (94-96)

The 2019 Clos de La Roche Grand Cru contains 80% whole bunches this year and underwent just a couple of punch-downs. There is a tiny amount of reduction on the nose as I taste it, gradually opening to reveal raspberry, blackcurrant and violet aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannins matched with a very fine bead of acidity. This is a very cohesive and refined Grand Cru with a lilting, carefree finish that belies its inherent complexity and persistent. Easy to under-estimate this, I am sure it will age with style.

Vinous (97)

The 1985 Clos de la Roche was simply radiant as it swept across the palate with a multitude of aromas, flavors and sensations which mere words fail to capture.

Wine Advocate (85)

In my article on Ponsot's 1995s out of barrel, I heaped considerable praise on the Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes, describing it as prodigious, and going so far as to say that I would not be surprised if it deserved a perfect rating! At my recent tasting I found it to be light-to-medium ruby-colored with an amber edge. Its slightly alcoholic nose is reminiscent of cherry-flavored Bubbleyum bubblegum mixed with white pepper and grapefruit. On the palate, this wine is a pale shadow of its former self. Amidst an earthy, stony, red pit fruit-flavored, and medium-bodied core, there remains a ghost-like trace of the richness and ripeness I originally had seen in this wine. After it had been opened for 48 hours I re-visited it. To its credit, this Clos de la Roche had not deteriorated, yet it had not gotten any better either. I will not be drinking my remaining bottles in the near term as I want to see if Laurent Ponsot's assertion that these wines will regain their fruit in time is correct. However, I cannot recommend the same course of action to readers as I see no reason to believe that cellaring will help this wine.