J. Roty Mazy Chambertin 2014

The 2014 Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru, from vines planted by Charles Roty at the beginning of the 20th century, has a very refined bouquet, very elegant, much more understated than recent vintages from Roty; it has hints of menthol and violets infusing the red berry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with juicy ripe tannin, very silky in the mouth with a keen thread of acidity maintaining tension and poise. This is very seductive, very sophisticated and a great wine from Roty. Returning to Domaine Joseph Roty two weeks after the untimely passing of Philippe Roty at 46 after a three year battle against cancer, as you would expect, one is filled with emotion far beyond that of appraising a new vintage. However, regretfully I have been in this same situation two or three times before and found that after obligatory condolences, there is always a desire to get back to some kind of normality and restore that sense of life going on. The blood stops running but the sap will always keep rising. And in a sense, Philippe is a strong spirit, a guiding influence at the domaine. Chatting with Pierre-Jean Roty, he told me how his brother had never relinquished until the very end, constantly asking him about the 2015 vintage. Photos and videos of the vines were bought in to his hospital and up until his last visits, he was still inspecting the vines and doing his best to continue as if he didn’t have a matter of days left on this Earth. Perhaps one small consolation is that he died know