Domaine de Montille, Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru

(vinified with 100% whole clusters and aged in 50% new oak; the de Montille holding is in the middle third of the Clos, on the north side, according to Sieve): Healthy medium red. Tight aromas of dark cherry and spicy oak convey a medicinal aspect that's leavened somewhat by a note of rose petal. Very ripe (actually 13.1% natural alcohol) but tangy and tight, showing little in the way of early sweetness to its raspberry and cherry flavors. In fact, this wine comes across as rather cool in style and a bit angular in its youth. But the palate-dusting finish lingers nicely. Sieve noted that the estate will begin destemming more of its Clos Vougeot fruit to reduce the wine's rustic character.