Six separate lots of the 2002 Clos de Tart were tasted, ranging from a cuvee of the youngest vines (planted in 1999), to the press wine, to older vine cuvees segregated by their location on the hillside vineyard. Lots deemed unworthy of the final blend are culled out in blind tastings to fashion the final assemblage. The following tasting note is based on a hypothetical final wine as the ultimate decisions had yet to be taken when I visited the estate (recent vintages have been better from bottle than the hypothetical blends tasted as samples at the domaine).
Boasting a nose of dark fruits intermingled with roasting spices, bacon, licorice, tar, and red cherries, this powerful wine is rich, deeply concentrated, and intense. Loads of flesh, muscle, and broad layers of blackberries, red fruits, spices, and stones can be discerned in its personality. In addition, this exceptional effort reveals an admirably long finish studded with loads of ripe tannin enveloped in black fruits. It is a great Clos de Tart that should stand the test of time. Drink it between 2008 and 2018. 94-96 points Wine Advocate #153 Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Mar/Apr 05
($175; bottled in March of 2004) Bright red-ruby. Highly nuanced, expressive nose combines strawberry, raspberry, minerals, lavender, chocolate, underbrush and fennel. Superconcentrated, silky and sweet in the mouth but with superb definition and energy. The wine's sheer density of material completely buffers its 14+% alcohol. Finishes dry and classic, with explosive rising fruit and terrific thrust. The tannins are buried in fruit and soil tones. A great Burgundy 95 points
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