Product Description

 The 2017 Rugiens from Céline Fontaine is another very, very good wine in the making, but it cannot match the optimal ripeness of the Clos des Chênes (due to the leaf roll disease) and is a bit more reticent out of the blocks as a result. The nose is a fine mix of black cherries, plums, a touch of currant leaf, dark chocolate, woodsmoke, a lovely base of soil, vanillin oak and a gentle topnote of violets. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, nascently complex and ripely tannic, with a good core, fine focus and grip and a long, balanced and youthful finish. This is not quite as sappy at the core as the other top reds in the cellar this year, but it will still be a lovely wine in the fullness of time. 2027-2060.    (1/2019) 92 points John Gilman

  This is aromatically similar to the Clos des Chênes if just not quite as spicy. The sleek and delicious flavors possess both good energy and delineation if not the same density along with a lovely mid-palate texture that carries over to the lingering if not particularly complex finale. Allen Meadows - Burghound

Lively bouquet of Turkish delight, mocha and morello cherry. Sweet, almost, but a touch of garrigue too. A delicate palate weight here, the wine feels lacy and pure, finishing dusty and a touch crisp. Mouthwatering acidity and a belt of cranberry juice-like pucker add character. Fine, tight, thin tannin lines and a suggestion of cedary oak too. Delicacy and understatement done very well."
93 Points Wine Front

"Comment: Don't Miss, Outstanding.  Here the wood is less subtle though by no means excessive as the otherwise pure, refined and exceptionally fresh aromas of red and blue pinot fruit, stone and humus still offer really lovely transparency. The rich and wonderfully intense flavors possess outstanding vibrancy and detail while culminating in an explosive, firm, long, balanced and ever-so-mildly austere finish. This is a classically styled Rugiens and one that will definitely need 10 to 12 years of cellar time before it's ready for prime time but it should be well worth the wait."
93 Points Allen Meadows, Burghound