Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles-Vignes 2005 / 99 points / All the superb and dramatic complexity that this displayed from barrel has made it into bottle as an extremely ripe and fantastically broad nose soars from the glass, merging seamlessly into dense, pure rich and powerful flavors that are opulent, sweet and dripping with so much extract and sap that the combination stains and saturates the palate on the hugely proportioned yet impeccably balanced finish that is so long that it doesn't seem possible. Given how many reference standard vintages Domaine Ponsot has produced of the Clos de la Roche over the years, it would be presumptuous to anoint this as the best ever but if it isn't, it will certainly take its rightful place among the very greatest. In sum, a 'wow' wine that makes you shake your head in sheer amazement. However be aware that this is a buy and forget wine as it will require at least 15 years to shed its considerable tannins and it will see 50 years without difficulty.
As is his usual practice, Laurent Ponsot was one of the last growers to begin picking reporting that he began on "September 27th, which is the same day that we began in 2005. The July 27th hail storm cost us greatly in terms of yield as we suffered heavy losses in Griotte, Chapelle and Charmes. But my vineyard team organized immediately and within 3 hours after the end of the storm, they were in the vines spraying to protect against rot. There was wind with the storm, which means that the hail hit the vines from the side. Now that's bad for the grapes but good for the leaves, which allowed the vines to recover more quickly as the leaves were able to continue photosynthesizing to provide energy to both heal wounds and ripen the grapes properly. Sugars were actually high at between 13 to 14%. I think that it's partially because of the low yields that we aim for and in the hail damaged sectors, very low yields and partially because there was still a good leaf canopy. Because we harvested late and had good phenolic ripeness, I didn't change anything with respect to my vinification. I love the '06s and they are, in my view, every bit as good as the 2002s." Fans of the domaine will note that there is no Morey villages Cuvée des Grives as the vineyard was replanted in 2006. As to the Ponsot '05s, Ponsot was unexpectedly called away on an urgent matter just as our cellar visit was ending and unfortunately I did not have the chance to taste the full range of the prior vintage in bottle as I usually do. However, I did manage to get to three '05s and they confirm the brilliance of the Ponsot '05s. I'm not sure why this wine seemed to have so completely captured the imagination of burg lovers in 2005 but in my various travels after the release of Issue 25, no one wine was so asked about and discussed. Just as with the 2005 Mugnier Musigny and the DRC monopoles, I am very happy to be able to report that in my view, the 2005 old vines Clos de la Roche is every bit as great as its performance last year from barrel suggested it would be. It is a profound effort destined to make very old bones indeed. While the price for this gem has unfortunately spiked considerably, for those who bought I only say congratulations, you should be very, very happy. Lastly, it's not me taking a bit of journalistic license by adding the modifier "Très" to the 2006 Clos St. Denis. Ponsot told me that effective with the 2006 vintage, the new name for the Clos St. Denis is Très Vieilles Vignes.
