Domaine du Clos de Tart Monopole Grand Cru Pinot Noir 1996

Mike Saviage

Decanted for 5 hours. Tawny and a bit translucent in the glass. The nose is outstanding. Has “the funk”. While nice and palate coating in the mouth, I could sit and smell this all night. Nice to see a 96 have enough fruit to last long enough to see the acidity mellow so that the balance is even. I think these are ready to go, finally.

Mike Saviage

Tasted blind. Nice older tawny color. Has a nose that gives you a smile. Notes of bing cherries, rhubarb, cola, moist dark soil, some herbal spice and some funk. Smooth and palate-coating in the mouth. By the process of elimination as I mentally walk through the climats of Burgundy, I settle on Morey St. Denis and throw out a guess of 97 Dujac Clos St. Denis as the bottle. I actually thought about the 96 Clos de Tart as an guess option but didn’t pick up the high acidity trait common in 96s – and went with 97 because of the herbal thing. The mouthfeel and finish shows this bottle is in its drinking window. Give it air. Liked this wine a lot, but like other 96s, the battle between the fruit and the acidity has been ongoing for a long time and while the acidity is finally fading a bit, so too is the fruit.

Larry Halff

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