2018 Ch de la Tour Grand Cru Clos Vougeot Vieilles Vignes, Burgundy

The 2018 Clos de Vougeot Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru displays more complexity and mineralité on the nose compared to the Cuvée Classique; the fruit is a little darker, revealing hints of cola and sous-bois. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, lithe and fine-boned. Slightly chalky-textured toward the precise finish. This is actually more 2019 in style. A resounding success.

95 points vinous.com

A slightly riper nose is comprised by notes of poached plum and dark berry liqueur with more evident notes of spice, floral and humus-inflected earth. The bigger, richer and more concentrated big-bodied velvet-textured flavors flash both good freshness and outstanding power on the structured, serious and mocha-inflected finish. This is excellent though it is very much fashioned in a built-to-age and take no prisoners style, and thus it is very much a buy and forget you own it wine.

95 points Allen Meadows burghound.com

Until 2014, this old-vine cuvée was made from a single block planted in 1910, but now includes some slightly more recent material too. Fermented with 100% whole clusters, as all the wines are at Château de lla Tour, this is a fine, elegant, self-assured Clos de Vougeot with very fine, polished tannins, subtle oak, layers of red berry fruit and aromatic spices and a long, nuanced, complex finish.

96 points decanter.com

From some of the oldest vines within the walled Clos de Vougeot, this Vieilles Vignes bottling represents the most serious and concentrated expression of Château de la Tour’s holdings. As the largest landowner in Clos de Vougeot, the estate has unparalleled insight into the site’s complex patchwork of limestone, clay and marl soils. The Vieilles Vignes parcels, with their naturally low yields and deep root systems, deliver greater density, structure and mineral intensity, producing a Grand Cru Pinot Noir built for long ageing and profound complexity.

The colour is a deep ruby garnet with impressive depth. Aromas are intense and layered, showing black cherry, wild strawberry and raspberry, followed by rose petal, truffle, Asian spice and forest floor. The palate is powerful and structured, with concentrated red and dark fruit framed by firm, finely grained tannins and a vibrant acid line that gives remarkable length. There is a deep savoury core and mineral tension that build through the finish, marking this as a true collector’s Burgundy.

Exceptional with venison, beef bourguignon, duck, truffle dishes and aged Comté. Built for long cellaring, it will evolve beautifully over twenty to thirty years, gaining silkiness, sous bois and tertiary depth.