Château de la Tour Grand Cru Clos-Vougeot Vieilles Vignes 2019

With so much movement and change across Burgundy these days, even a year can feel like a long time. At Château de la Tour—organic and quality focussed for decades—the movement has been slow and steady. This is largely because they were already coming from such a high base. Nonetheless, if we consider this producer’s development over the last decade, the change has been significant. Those who have followed the wines could not have missed the evolution towards a finer, more approachable style of wine being produced here. Since 2013 the wines have been more luscious, more layered, and with finer tannins, yet without any loss of terroir, power or authenticity.

The Vieilles Vignes comes from a selection of the oldest vines in the Clos, mostly planted in 1910 and situated mid-slope, right in the heart of the vineyard. A minimum 70 years of age is the threshold here, and over a third of the domaine’s holdings qualify. These ancient vines yield only two to three tiny bunches of grapes per vine in a good year. The net result is a Clos de Vougeot of unique intensity, breadth of flavour, complexity and structural power. Interestingly, there are a number of Pinot Beurot (Gris) vines interplanted in these parcels. These grapes are harvested and vinified with the Pinot Noir.

The Vieilles Vignes is a deeper, more powerful and structured wine than the Classique. It’s built for the long haul, yet in a year like 2019 the balance on offer is still capable of delivering huge pleasure in the short term. Prime that decanter.

The 2019 Clos Vougeot Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes is very promising, unwinding in the glass with notes of dark berry fruit, orange peel, rose petals, rich soil tones and spices. Full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, it's deep and concentrated, with rich, powdery tannins, lively acids and a long, resonant finish. - William Kelley, The Wine Advocate, 94-96 points

The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietal - Pinot Noir
Country - France
Region - Burgundy
Vintage - 2019
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 13.5%