2018 Domaine Duroche Chambertin Clos-de-Beze Grand Cru

(94-96 Points   Wine Advocate)

The 2018 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru opens in the glass with a deep and brooding bouquet of dark fruits, coniferous forest floor, baking chocolate, grilled meats and black truffles. On the palate, it's full-bodied, layered and enveloping, with an ample chassis of rich structuring tannins, succulent acids and fine concentration, concluding with a long, resonant finish. From a parcel planted in 1920, this is the source of the domaine's sélection massale. As I wrote last year, the quietly confident Pierre Duroché—who once represented France in rock climbing—took over this eight-hectare Domaine in 2005. He knows what he wants to achieve and is well on the way to achieving it. Blessed with an enviable patrimony of vineyard holdings and plenty of old vines too, his hand-harvested grapes see gentle macerations and élevage with decidedly modest percentages of new wood. Stems, thoughtfully employed, are increasingly part of the equation. The ensuing wines are beautifully fragrant, with filigree tannins, vibrant fruit tones and sneaky persistence. Duroché harvested early in 2018 and has produced a lovely range of fragrant, elegant and unusually vibrant wines that I can't wait to taste again from bottle. His 2017s, which I also revisited, are showing beautifully, capturing all the inherent charm of the vintage. In short, Domaine Duroché continues its ascent, and readers who haven't yet taken notice should do so before it's too late. (WK)    Review Date: 01/2020