2015 Vosne Romanee Les Brulees

The 2015 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brûlées Vieilles Vignes comes from a parcel that Bruno told me is exposed to the cooler air descending from the valley and this results in lower pH levels in the wines. It has a crisp and focused bouquet, quite mineral-driven with flint and grey slate-like aromas permeating the mainly black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red and black fruit. This feels quite citrus-like thanks to the acidic line, though there is plenty of substance on the structured finish that exerts an insistent grip in the mouth. There is a surfeit of energy coiled up in this Vosne-Romanée and I envisage it offering 15-20 years of drinking pleasure. This is excellent, perhaps the best ever made by Bruno from this vineyard.

(32 hectoliters per hectare produced from a parcel on well-drained sand and what Clavelier describes as "aromatic calcaire "; these vines face full south but benefit from colder air that filters through the combe ): Bright, dark red. Pungent red berries, blueberry and red licorice on the nose, lifted by minerals, flowers and spices. Wonderfully concentrated and light on its feet, offering a distinctly penetrating quality to its very pure flavors of strawberry, raspberry and crushed rock. Finishes vibrant, smooth and very long, with notes of licorice and sweet spices and a firm spine to support graceful aging. I love this wine's balance of fruit, acidity and rather delicate tannins, not to mention its finishing thrust.

(from 50+ year old vines). A highly perfumed nose speaks of a dense and well-layered mix of red raspberry, plum violet, sandalwood, cinnamon and once again lavender nuances. There is notably better concentration to the powerful, serious and stony middle weight plus flavors that culminate in a refined, focused and flawlessly balanced finale. In a word, terrific. Dec 2016, www.burghound.com