2015 Denis Berthaut - Vosne Romanee Les Petits Monts 1er Cru

(Berthaut owns 0.5 hectare in this tiny, steep premier cru, with four out of her five blocks featuring old vines; beginning in 2017 she's working these parcels with a horse and a winch; vinified with 15% whole clusters): Good dark red. Mineral-driven aromas of black raspberry and crushed rock. Juicy and densely packed if a bit youthfully clenched. Penetrating saline minerality from the shallow soil here. This is much more backward than the Fixin Les Arvelets, sporting a moderate pH of 3.4. Most impressive today for its energy and building persistence. Not quite sophisticated but not at all rustic, this wine will need patience. This cuvée should be one to watch over the coming vintages.

(this very steep vineyard is entirely worked by hand; includes some 8-year-old vines but some are older than 70; vinified with 20% whole clusters): Deep, bright ruby. Knockout violet perfume to the high-toned aromas of blueberry, blackberry, boysenberry and licorice. Penetrating minerality and crushed-stone lift give this premier cru wonderful inner-mouth tension, with the black and purple fruit and bitter chocolate flavors further energized by the pronounced floral element. Finishes with a firm tannic spine and subtle rising length. This will need aging to develop more pliancy and complexity.