Jimmy Smith

Director, West and North London Wine School

9.3

Stunning wine retaining freshness, elderflower and lemongrass, white flowers, all pumped up with a creamy oaky, vanilla note. Grapefruit, hint of Passionfruit sneaks in. But it's the palate where this kicks in. Good texture leading to a medium bodied wine, creamy, savoury, leesy, with peachy, tropical fruit, and only light green notes. This will give Pessacs a run for their moolah! — 10 years ago

Manali Karmarkar

9.3

Delicious- smooth, hints of cherry, stone, mineral. — 11 years ago

Rob Lateiner

10

Chocolate, a little green bell pepper twang that reminds me of VA but It definitely is not. Some heat though the wine is definitely too warm. Lighter bodied, less textural refinement compared to the 08 which is silk but everything could change with air. The wine was just popped and put on ice. Showing much better cooler but still needs lots of air. Unless the fantastic 2008 is still to shut down, this shows tremendous longevity. Fully ripe, fully loaded tannins, this is the most structured Vintage of Clos Rougeard I have tasted yet. Wine gets too cold and the oak becomes more prominent. Gets to the ideal temp and the oak comes across nicely and balanced, if not significantly so. Seems like a classic mid/mid-plus toast. Not the char of vosne nor the low coconutty temps of chambolle. The importance of oak matching fruit can hardly be overstated and is perfectly executed here. Could even be perceived as a touch heavy for some purists but that would be too nitpicky for me. Almost a gamey side to the great oak that plays in here, it's like the nuttyness and the char of the oak that seems to contribute this. Comes across more Vosne like when temp is cooler. Reminds a bit of Grivot actually. Black currant fruit here to the slightly lighter shades in the 08. Some black cherry in a more intense way than burgundy. Unfortunately no decanter but as the wine opens up after an hour and a half, the fruit comes out a whole lot more. The initial green, lighter body is gone and the profile is dark fruit with a little touch of ash momentarily evolving into incredible deep cigar tobacco with gorgeous blackberry notes. Not decanting this wine for an hour was probably one of the bigger mistakes I have made in wine consumption. This blackberry and cigar is the true nature of the wine as it has filled out. Always a humbling experience to see a wine change so incredibly like this. Unbelievable and beautiful. Texture will get there I imagine but isn't wildly seductive yet like the '08. The last sip is some incredible wild maine blueberry syrup/all those wild dark berries from around New Foundland, with a wild savory quality. Not at all sweet in an excessive way, just in the purest flavors of perfectly ripe and highly concentrated fruit. Probably the most dynamic shift in a wine I have seen other than Barolo. One of the better wines I've had though tannin and texture suppleness is not there yet. Jesus. — 11 years ago

David Musser

Sommelier The Little Nell

9.5

This wine was $25 bucks. I don't know if I could find a wine I enjoy drinking more with this kind of value. Barnyard, earth, funk, dried red fruit. This is a great bottle of wine. — 11 years ago

with Chris

Jesse Smith

8.9

Kind of like a lemon pound cake but lost a bit of sparkle — 11 years ago

Greg Sorensen

9.6

One of a kind. — 11 years ago

Bill Bender

8.9

Out of .375 jump start lunch — 11 years ago

Mason Balistreri

Sommelier, International Wine Guild; Balistreri Vineyard; Sales, Joy Wine and Spirits

9.4

Wild, crazy wine with tons of marchino cherry and orange peel coliding on the palate. The mouthfeel is different than most wine, and I don't think you could really explain this with conventional termonology. This wine is as ancient as they come. — 11 years ago

Andrew Reetz

9.7

Unsulfured, wild, noted of cranberry and unique vivacious wafting odors. My favorite natural wine in a while. #petitmondewinemarchant — 11 years ago

Mason Balistreri

Sommelier, International Wine Guild; Balistreri Vineyard; Sales, Joy Wine and Spirits

9.2

This wine reminds me distinctly of a Muscat my grandfather produced in 2010; and the color is the first indication. Obvious extended skin contact, but low enough extraction to reach a lite-honey color. The nose is pungent and intense with tangerine skin wrapped in wild, homemade perfumes. The mouthfeel is giving yet tense, with slightly underripe mandarin orange and a twist of lime. Interesting wine. Authentic wine. — 12 years ago