Rating:
95
John Gilman - View from the Cellar
"As superb as the regular bottling of Clos de la Roilette is in 2011, the Cuvee Tardive is a notable step up in quality. This is not something that I always find to the be the case, as in some vintages the Cuvee Tardive is a more structured version that will certainly live longer, but is not always significantly above the beautiful regular bottling. But, in 2011 this is a very special wine indeed. The deep, primary and almost bottomless nose offers up a very pure and gorgeous blend of black cherries, plums, raw cocoa, beautiful, dark soil tones, a touch of lavender, woodsmoke and a fine topnote of fresh herbs. On the palate the wine is very pure and full-bodied, with a rock solid core of fruit, plenty of firm, ripe tannins, great focus and grip and a very, very long,
reserved and youthful finish. This will need several years in the cellar to blossom, but it is an extremely promising wine of great potential. At this early stage, it is hard to say if this will equal or surpass the great 2009 and 2005 versions, but it certainly belongs in the same company. 2016-2040." (10/12)
Product Description:
"This is stunning. Quite dark crimson. Unlike so much Beaujolais, it smells of really intense, ripe Gamay and has real (granitic?) bite. It's ridiculously gulpable already but clearly has a great future too. Not a hint of hasty fermentation. Freshness and fruitinss incarnate. Yum, yum, yum. Drink 2012 to 2018. (JR)" 17 out of 20 points, Jancis Robinson's Purple Pages (11/12)
WINE:
"Despite what the name says, the Tardive cuvee from Coudert is a not a late harvest wine but rather a parcel of old vines. The Tardive is remakarkable, many consider it one of the most profound and ageworthy wines of Beaujolais."-Importer
WINERY:
"Considered one of the most admired producers in Fleurie, Clos de la Roilette, in the village of Fleurie, covers nine hectares of one of the best slopes in the Beaujolais Crus. The clos has an eastern exposure, borders the Moulin-a-Vent appellation, and produces wines that are beautiful when young and have the capacity to age for over 10 years."
"In the 20's, when the Fleurie appellation was first created, the former landowner was infuriated with losing the Moulin-a-Vent appellation under which the clos had previously been classified. He created a label, using a photograph of his racehorse Roilette, and used the name Clos de la Roilette, without mentioning Fleurie. By the mid-1960s, the owner’s heirs had lost interest in the clos and a large portion of the land had gone wild and untended. In 1967, Fernand Coudert bought this poorly maintained estate, and replanted the vineyards. His son Alain joined him in 1984, and has been the winemaker since."
"The Couderts say their particular terroir (mainly clay and manganese), and the age of their vines (25 to 33 years-old) account for the richness of their wine. It has a deep color with a hint of purple, a restrained nose of creme de cassis, a rich, full mouth with aromas of cassis, black cherries, and a nutty character, and finishes with zesty acidity. This is a wine that ages gracefully and takes on the aromatic character of a Pinot Noir." -Importer
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