1998 Domaine du Clos de Tart Clos de Tart Grand Cru
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Tasting notes
The 1998 Clos de Tart Grand Cru puts in a rather disappointing performance. At 20 years of age, it shows some bricking on the rim. The bouquet starts off well, offering generous red berry fruit and a touch of menthol, but with aeration it develops a more herbaceous character and then an element that is almost fecal. The palate is medium-bodied and more cohesive than the aromatics, delivering fine tannin and notes of candied orange peel filtered through the red berry fruit. It lacks some finesse and shows just a touch of VA on the finish. Is there also a touch of brettanomyces here? This should be better. Tasted at the Clos de Tart vertical at Ten Trinity in London.
Critic scores
Allen Meadows, Burghound
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The first bottle was oxidised and TCA-tainted. The second bottle was untainted by TCA but also had no real breadth of fruit. It closes up a bit on the end. Intense fruit – real depth – but pretty brutal tannins, with some mintiness. Lots to chew on still. But it did start to oxidise in the glass. Disappointing overall but there is life there. (JR)
Tasted at the pre-dinner vertical to mark Sylvain Pitiot's retirement from the domaine, the 1998 Clos de Tart Grand Cru has a far more mature nose than the 1999; it is a little smudged and earthy, more rustic than I was expecting. The palate foundation is dry with obdurate tannins and plenty of mushroom notes (morels), with a masculine and tertiary finish. I suspect that there might be better bottles than this, but if I had any of my own, I would be inclined to drink them in the next three or four years. Tasted September 2015.