| Score: |
93 ST.
"Bright red with ruby highlights. Captivating aromas of blackberry, black raspberry, cherry pit and licorice, plus a whiff of buttery pastry. Ripe, dense and suave, with strong acidity and an herbal edge framing the flavors of crushed berries and black cherry. Finishes with serious tannic spine and excellent length. This, too, conveys a low-pH mouthfeel. Clavelier had very late malos in 2012, as his cellars remained cold until the end of June. A few barrels were just finishing at the time of my November visit. Clavelier was one of several growers who told me he had removed leaves before three very hot, sunny days at the end of July, and thus had to carefully eliminate sunburned grapes at harvest-time. He began picking on the early side for Vosne-Romanee, on September 20, and noted that his pHs in 2012 are in the low 3.25 to 3.3 range, ‘as low as they were in 2010.’ But he added that since his father never used potassium in his vineyards, he has always had low pHs in his wines." Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, Jan 2014 |