The 2013 Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru was showing a bit of reduction when I tasted it from barrel. With some rigorous coaxing it reluctantly reveals wild strawberry mixed with bergamot and rose petals, hints of fig jam in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannins and a palpable sense of energy and precision. There is symmetry on the end that you look for in a Grand Cru, and a persistent finish that goes on and on and on. Superb, but what else would you expect?

A huge, towering wine, Cathiard's 2013 Romanée St. Vivant could easily be mistaken for a Richebourg, so tannic and imposing is its structure. Layers of dark, dense fruit open up with explosive energy and towering lift. The RSV is going to require considerable patience, but it is absolutely compelling today.