iDealwine assesses the wines of Clos de La Roche

Deep in colour and full bodied with opulent aromas, the wines of Clos de la Roche have become popular with collectors in recent years. iDealwine assesses how it has fared in auctions and gauges its potential.

Burgundy has been on the rise over the past few years at auction, and the Burgundy WineDex, tracking 10 vintages of the 40 most representative wines of the region, grew by 6.9% in 2016. The wines from the Côte de Nuits strongly supported this trend, with both an increase in volume and the value of wines sold at auction on iDealwine. Of course, it is impossible to mention this region without referring to low volumes, reflected in the most recent vintages. The most sought-after vintages yield very small quantities compared with Bordeaux, and the new vintages are generally not available to the general public under the allocation system. This makes these wines very rare and highly desirable, even in recent vintages.

Clos de la Roche is a grand cru that has been extremely popular in recent years. Ideally situated in the northern part of the commune of Morey-Saint-Denis, the eastfacing limestone slope is laid with one of the largest proportions of pebbles and large boulders that can be found in the area, especially in the highest part of the vineyard. This rocky characteristic is what gives the vineyard its name. Yields are limited to 35 hectolitres per hectare, meaning about 5,000-6,000 cases are produced every year for a total vineyard size of 16.9ha, making it the largest cru of the commune. Its ownership is split between several producers, and the largest vineyard is owned by Domaine Ponsot, with 3.4ha and about 1,200 cases.

Other great names include the iconic Domaine Leroy, Domaine Armand Rousseau and Dominique Laurent.

The wines of Clos de La Roche tend to be deep in colour and full-bodied with opulent aromas of red and black berries and long ageing potential. In youth the wines are very pleasant thanks to both mature, round tannins and a precise and elegant aromatic structure.

Although Domaine Dujac does not often feature at auction, thus keeping it out of the spotlight, it belongs to an exclusive circle of producers whose wines are sought after by enthusiasts worldwide.

Established in 1967 by Jacques Seysses, the domaine is now run by the next generation – Jeremy, Alec and Diana, Jeremy’s wife. One of the domaine’s distinctive features is the whole-bunch fermentation that gives the young wines an elegant vegetal note, which some enthusiasts can find disconcerting, hence the need to cellar the bottles for several years until their flavours develop fully.

The domaine comprises some fine parcels, with 12 Côte de Nuits premiers and grands crus. These include nearly two hectares of Clos de la Roche, one of Domaine Dujac’s most iconic labels.

MARKET SCARCITY

Given its scarcity on the auction market, it comes as no surprise that the price rocketed recently. In the auction that closed on 15 March, Clos de la Roche 1999 fetched €672, 24% above its estimate and the 2002 €660 (+84%). The 2008 – which was somewhat overshadowed by the two previous vintages and went under the hammer for €296 (+23%) – therefore still has some real potential for future growth.

In the past months, all prices have exceeded their auction estimates. The superb 1990 vintage reached €832 and older vintages were no exception to the rule – the 1972 fetched €552 in the second auction of 2016. Recent vintages are still reasonably priced, like the 2012, praised by Allen Meadows with 95-97 points and sold for €300 in the last auction of November 2016.

The Grand Cru Clos de La Roche is becoming much sought-after climat that wine connoisseurs and collectors around the world want to include in their cellars. The recent performances of Dujac, Ponsot, Armand Rousseau or Leroy shouldn’t stop in the coming years, especially with rising interest from Asian customers, notably from Hong Kong and mainland China. Furthermore, the combination of qualitative and limited yield in recent vintages that have boosted the price for young vintages, have a parallel impact on the secondary market, with buyers looking for these scarce mature vintages that they can either drink or keep.