Clos de La Roche, Grand Cru, Cuvée Cyrot-Chaudron, 2020

Tasting the Clos de la Roche was an unexpected thrill to us: elegant and lifted on the nose, whilst the palate was refined and sensual; usually known for its sheer power and richness, this cuvée offered a great deal more restraint and refinement than usual, a real joy to taste. In 1991 this became the second Côte de Nuits vineyard to be acquired by the Hospices, after Mazis-Chambertin in 1976. A donation from Mr & Mrs Cyrot-Chaudron enabled the Hospices to buy some vines at the heart of the gentle slope of this Grand Cru hillside, in the lieu dit Les Froichots. Their holding now amounts to 0.25ha. Two thirds of the vines were planted in 1972 or before, making this a typically intense, rich but serious Grand Cru.