2014 La Romanee

The 2014 La Romanée Grand Cru has a crisp and precise nose with black cherries, bergamot and blackberry with fine delineation, then upon further investigation notes of orange sorbet that I observed out of barrel. The palate is medium-bodied with fine delineation, crisp acidity, a touch of salinity towards the finish. It has firmed up a little in bottle but there is outstanding intensity and superb length, retaining that "tantalizingly poised finish" (to quote myself). This is a brilliant La Romanée that might have the temerity to challenge the succeeding vintage. Tasted November 2016.

Dark red, not ruby. Great meaty complexity to the vibrant aromas of raspberry, mocha, spices and chocolate. Sappy, smooth, wonderfully vinous and deep, displaying strong saline minerality and great class. This shows a similar style to the Reignots but here the wine's fruit is farther in the background. This will eventually make a great bottle but I can easily see it going through a sullen stage on the way to its apogee.

Bright ruby-red. Sexy nose melds blackberry, minerals and violet, plus a noble vegetal aspect. Plush and sweet on entry, then impressively deep in the middle palate, offering primary but already fascinating flavors of dark fruits, flowers and spices. Seriously structured and tannic on the brooding back end, but with juicy, slowly mounting fruit and compelling sweetness. This beauty should be long-lived.