2009 Domaine Sylvain Cathiard Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru

Deep saturated red. Knockout tangy aromas of raspberry, wild cherry, exotic spices, flowers and blood orange. Huge, velvety and sweet but with superb mineral lift. This has at least as much palate-drenching concentration as the Malconsorts but more energy and definition. Conveys a powerful sense of solidity, yet the building, nuanced, extremely long finish leaves the palate vibrating. Can't spit this!

A dazzlingly complex, perfumed and pure nose reveals a bit of wood influence yet remains strikingly elegant with its superb scope of spicy red berry fruit aromas that are followed by ripe, seductive and beautifully intense flavors that display marvelous depth and perfect balance on the sappy and naturally sweet finish of monumental length. This is a wine of indisputable class and a model of grace and understatement that should age effortlessly for 20 to 30 years. January 2011. www.burghound.com