2015 - Clos de la Roche Grand Cru, Lignier-Michelot

The 2015 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru comes from 0.30-hectare in the Montluisants area supplemented by some purchased fruit from 72-year-old vines in the lieu-dit Les Chenevrières. It has a very pure and powerful bouquet with layers of small dark cherries, blueberry and violet aromas, a little richness of the growing season showing through via a touch of glycerin. The palate is medium-bodied with a bit if sinew on the entry. This dovetails into a structured mid-palate with a pinch of white pepper lingering on the finish that has a real peacock's tail of flavors, reinforcing its grand crus pedigree (just in case.) This is a sublime expression of the vineyard from Virgile Lignier.

Good full, bright red; the darkest of these 2015s. Inviting aromas of black raspberry, black cherry, chocolate and five-spice powder. Juicy and crunchy in the context of the vintage; dense and thick but not heavy, with its penetrating, fruit-driven flavors framed by surprising harmonious acidity and saline minerality. This very ripe and rather stylish Clos de la Roche finishes with substantial refined tannins and excellent length and lift. Like several other of these 2015s, this seems fresher in the bottle than it was from barrel in late 2016. Virgile Lignier vinified most of his 2015 crus with 70% or 80% whole clusters and as his stems were fully ripe owing to his late harvesting, they add an essential element of energy without introducing greenness into the wines.

Cask sample. The nose is underwhelming at first – subtle, reclusive. There's a faint violet aroma and the requisite red fruit but not much else besides. Tight palate, but doesn't seem to have the depth and profundity expected from grand cru. Perhaps it just needs bottle age and optimism ... (RH)