2013 Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair La Romanée Grand Cru

Deep red-ruby. Wonderfully complex if youthfully reticent aromas of black raspberry, graphite minerality, Oriental spices and smoked meat. Rich, broad, dry and classic, showing no easy sweetness in the early going. Ripe berry, mineral and licorice flavors spread out horizontally to saturate the palate. This very young wine boasts outstanding definition and a firmly tannic, building finish that delivers terrific grip. In a very adult style--and for collectors who can delay gratification.

Just bottled a few months ago, the 2013 La Romanée is an absolutely stunning wine with a very bright future. Delicacy and power meld together in a regal Burgundy endowed with statuesque verticality, salivating acidity and tannins that pulse with vitality. A host of violet, plum, licorice and leather overtones grace the exquisite finish. What a gorgeous wine this is.

When all is said and done, Liger-Belair's 2013 La Romanée may very well turn out to be one of the wines of the vintage. The most beautiful, exquisite aromatics lift from the glass in a wine whose first impression pretty much says it all. On the palate, the 2013 is rich and intense, yet also elusive and not ready to show all of its cards. A towering, vertical finish rounds out a La Romanée built on pure energy. Quite simply, this is about as good as it gets.