Tasting Note
(92-94) Points, Stephen Tanzer, Vinous (13.2% natural alcohol, from vines picked at the end): Full ruby-red. Aromas of blackberry, cassis, licorice and spices convey a gamey wildness plus a whiff of adhesive tape that quickly dissipated. Densely packed and a bit high-toned, with no lack of acidity to the flavors of crushed blackberry and tropical dark chocolate. This very ripe but taut Romanée-Saint-Vivant, from 80-year-old vines that yielded 33 hectoliters per hectare in 2015, seems youthfully sullen today and its dusty tannins are a bit tough in the early going. It will need longer in barrel--not to mention considerable time in bottle--to absorb some of its baby fat and show itself more clearly. Will it eventually reveal the clarity and class for greatness?Review Date: 01 Jan 17