(93-97 points) Excellent glowing mid purple, the nose is very ungiving at the moment. The palate though is exactly what you would expect. A touch of blueberry, the slightly raw silk or serge texture, plenty of muscle, but not without elegance. The finish is the best part as the flavours linger in the mouth – but do not look for graceful perfume here though. Tasted: November 2018.

(93-96 points) A spicy, cool and gorgeously complex nose reflects notes of both red and dark currant, earth and a whiff of leather. There is excellent richness to the concentrated and beautifully textured broad-shouldered flavors that possess focused power and a subtle minerality that really comes up on the youthfully austere and strikingly long finish. As good as the Chapelle is, there is just another dimension present here.

The Ponsots' 3.5ha holdings here are divided between the Monts Luisants and Clos de la Roche grand cru climats, producing a fine, elegant, floral cuvée with no new oak, plenty of precision and freshness and a sweet core of raspberry and wild strawberry fruit.

The 2017 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru Cuvée Vieilles Vignes is also showing very well from bottle, unfurling in the glass with a deep bouquet of sweet red berries, plums and cassis, complemented by sweet soil tones and lifted top notes of orange rind and peonies. Full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, it's deep and concentrated, its velvety tannins and succulent acids cloaked in an ample core of fruit. This is a brilliant wine from Domaine Ponsot.- WK

(90-92 points) The 2017 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru comes from two climats (2.8 hectares in Clos de la Roche and 0.70 hectares at the bottom of Montluisants) that are each fermented and aged separately. My sample is a blend of the two. It was picked on September 19–20. Like some of Ponsot’s other cuvées, it has a high-toned bouquet of cassis and violets, developing a hint of licorice with time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin and more tension than the other Grand Crus from the _ domaine_. A sprinkle of white pepper and sage appears toward the finish. This should age well, though I would like more backbone and grip on the finish. -- Neal Martin