2014 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode

(hit hard by hail): Medium red. Reticent aromas of black cherry, dark raspberry and licorice. Juicy and tightly wound; less sweet than the foregoing wines from the Côte de Nuits, with the black fruit and menthol flavors showing a touch of leather. There's no obvious hail taste here, but this wine, made from very old vines, does not show its customary ripeness or depth. Brun may fine it in an attempt to round out its tannins.

Philippe Brun told me that the 2014 Savigny les Beaune 1er Cru La Dominodes was picked a little later, with the vines more stressed over the last three years of hail damage. Despite that, it has a delightful bouquet with that pure essence of Pinote, fresh, lively and vigorous. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannin, quite tensile and linear in the mouth, and perhaps missing the body on the finish it might otherwise have had. However it does possess vivacity and nervosite. Dec 2015, www.robertparker.com