2015 Vosne Romanee Les Beaux Monts Vieilles Vignes

The 2015 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts Vieilles Vignes comes from vines on shallow soils that contain a little sand and clay, oriented slightly more east than Aux Brûlées and therefore receiving more afternoon sunshine. It is red fruit all the way on the nose: crushed strawberry and red cherry fruit, fine delineation, however, at the moment more backward than the Aux Brûlées. Perhaps this is more tertiary in style. The palate is fresh and candied on the entry with veins of blood orange through the well-defined red berry fruit. The acidity is very well judged and lends this a sense of natural harmony, whilst the persistence on the finish is impressive. This is a stylish Les Beaux Monts from Bruno Clavelier and another fine 2015 to add to his portfolio.

(the soil here is not unlike that of Clavelier's Brûlées holding, but the vines face a bit more east; although they receive less sun, there's less of a cooling combe effect here): Bright medium red, a bit less saturated than the Brûlées. More brooding on the nose, offering scents of darker berries that are not quite black, along with hints of violet, licorice and menthol. Rich but quite dry and less showy than the Brûlées; this is larger and more spherical in the middle palate if a bit folded in on itself in the early going, then much tighter and brighter on the end, showing strong minerality and more masculine tannins.

The 2015 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts Vieilles Vignes comes from vines on shallow soils that contain a little sand and clay, oriented slightly more east than Aux Brûlées and therefore receiving more afternoon sunshine. It is red fruit all the way on the nose: crushed strawberry and red cherry fruit, fine delineation, however, at the moment more backward than the Aux Brûlées. Perhaps this is more tertiary in style. The palate is fresh and candied on the entry with veins of blood orange through the well-defined red berry fruit. The acidity is very well judged and lends this a sense of natural harmony, whilst the persistence on the finish is impressive. This is a stylish Les Beaux Monts from Bruno Clavelier and another fine 2015 to add to his portfolio. Dec 2016, www.robertparker.com, Drink: 2020-2045