Tasted blind at the annual "Burgfest" tasting in Beaune. The 2012 Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru from Laurent Ponsot has an extravagant, generous nose with hints of kirsch and raisin infusing the cranberry and blueberry fruit. Fortunately it does seem to calm down in the glass, rein in some of that nascent enthusiasm. The palate is sweet on the entry with red fruit, marmalade and dried orange peel. This is a grand cru that just wants to go out and please, a sexy Pinot Noir that does not hold back, which is what you want from this grand cru. This is a tempting offering, so much so that it is easy to overlook its pedigree.