Prieuré Roch's Clos de Vougeot 2020 comes from a little over 0.6 hectares in the upper part of the Clos. 2020 was an early, dry year, and the grand cru has the dark colour and firm acidity that marked the Côte de Nuits reds that year.
About This Wine
The domaine's 0.6236 hectares lie in the section it calls the royal terroir, on the gravelly, stony upper ground near the source of the Vouge; lower down the Clos the soil carries more clay. The domaine sums up its Clos de Vougeot as powerful, clean and square-cut, with a Cistercian spirit. In 2020 the growing season was warm and dry, and the Côte de Nuits was picked from early September. Thick skins gave deep colour and plenty of tannin, while cool nights kept acidity high, so the reds are concentrated but fresh.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Black cherry, blackcurrant and violet, with liquorice, stem spice and a stony edge.
- Palate: Firm and square, with dense dark fruit, a tight grain of tannin and bright acidity running through.
- Finish: Long and still closed, finishing on dark fruit, earth and iron.
Serving & Food
Hold this for a few years yet. From about 2028 decant it for an hour and pour at 16 to 17°C into a large Burgundy glass; it should run into the 2040s. Serve with roast venison saddle, oxtail braised in red wine, or char siu made with pork shoulder.
How to Enjoy
A grand cru to lay down, and a firmer, more structured Roch red for drinkers who find Vosne too delicate.
Product Details
Producer: Domaine Prieuré Roch
Country: France
Region: Côte de Nuits, Burgundy
Appellation: Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru
Vintage: 2020
Grape Variety: Pinot Noir
Estate Holding: 0.6236 ha
Volume: 750mL
About the Domaine
Prieuré Roch began in 1988 with a handful of Vosne-Romanée parcels, including the Clos Goillotte, that came up for sale when the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti was raising funds to buy a large holding in Romanée-Saint-Vivant. Henry-Frédéric Roch, whose family owned part of the DRC, bought them for his own estate. He added the word Prieuré, priory, simply because he liked the sound of it.
From that start the domaine grew to about twenty hectares across Gevrey-Chambertin, Vosne-Romanée, Vougeot, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Ladoix and Savigny-lès-Beaune.