2017 Domaine Dujac Clos St. Denis Grand Cru

In many vintages, I have a slight preference stylistically for the Clos St. Denis from the Seysses family over their Clos de la Roche, though the wines are often absolute equals in terms of quality. However, in 2017, I have to give a very, very slight nod to the Clos de la Roche, as it seems to have really excelled in this vintage. This is not to say that the 2017 Clos St. Denis is not a stunning wine, as it most assuredly is, offering up a pure and complex nose of sappy red plums, beetroot, smoked duck, a complex base of chalky soil tones, lovely spice tones, a refined base of new oak and a topnote of cocoa powder. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and supremely elegant, with a sappy core of fruit, great soil undertow, suave tannins and a long, tangy and complex finish. A great wine in the making.