The 2019 Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru is a little smudged on the nose and more mercurial than La Romanée that precedes it. Showing an initial touch of leather, the fruit eventually surfaces and become increasingly floral and pure, with a hint of oyster shell. The palate is medium-bodied with chewy tannins on the entry. The acidity is quite citric and imparts angularity to this Grand Cru, so it doesn't really "flow" as well as its peers. Maybe it just requires time? It articulates the winemaking more than the terroir at the moment. But hold on… After 20 minutes, it undergoes a Damascene resurrection, the terroir finally manifested and displaying much more refinement on the finish. Score leaps accordingly. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting.

Unfurling with aromas of plums, blackberries and Griotte cherries, complemented by hints of loamy soil, raw cocoa, rose petals and toasty new oak, the 2019 Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru is full-bodied, velvety and textural, with a sumptuous, enveloping and richly tannin profile. Bright and layered, it concludes with a broad, expansive finish.