2011 Romanee St Vivant

Dark blackish purple – tough not nearly as concentrated a colour as in most vintages. Real lift on the nose even if a little more suppressed on the palate than, say, DRC's! It's easy to see this has the nerve and concentration to be a grand cru. Still youthful but rewarding in its breadth on the palate. Burly mulberry flavours. Dry finish for now. (JR)

A discreetly spicy and notably ripe nose features scents of black cherry, cassis and plum. There is a velvety texture to the delicious, round and seductive middle weight flavors that possess good verve and finesse. In the same vein as the Bressandes the supporting tannic spine is clearly ripe but notably more fine-grained and overall this beautifully balanced effort is an exercise in refinement. Good stuff. Tasted: Apr 15, 2013. Drink: 2023+

Tasted blind at the Burgundy 2011 horizontal tasting in Beaune. The Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru 2011 from Follin-Arbelet has one of the more reticent aromatics in a line-up of nine grand cru. There are subtle traces of seaweed and mudflats that infuse the black cherry and strawberry fruit, but it does not exude the same degree of vigor at the moment. The palate is ripe and rounded on the entry with slightly lower acidity than its peers, lending it a soft, cashmere texture. There is good length here, and even if it does not quite possess same precision as other grand cru, it is still destined to give plenty of pleasure. eRobertParker.com.November, 2014