2021 Clos Vougeot

The 2021 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru has a touch of reduction on an otherwise forthright and assertive nose that misses the bandwidth of its peers. That reduction, eventually identified as minor Brettanomyces, seems to settle rather than alleviate in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe and quite thick tannins compared to its peers, lending it more weight and presence. It does not have the mineralité or precision of a top Clos Vougeot but I cannot help admiring it. My score is based on that reduction eventually dissipating to reveal what could be a serious Grand Cru, though there is a variable in terms of how any Brettanomyces might play out. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting.