The 2012 Vosne-Romanée Les Malconsorts is clearly built for the cellar. Explosive and full-bodied, the 2012 hits the palate with massive fruit and structure. There is plenty of intensity in the glass, but the Malconsorts is not yet fully formed because of its late malos. A recent bottle of the 1993 was truly spectacular. The 2012 has the potential to be as thrilling, if not better.

Tasted blind at the annual "Burgfest" tasting in Beaune. The 2012 Vosne Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts from winemaker Sebastian Cathiard was showing some reduction like de Montille's Malconsorts: rather animally on the nose with a touch of rubber, missing the delineation it might have otherwise possessed. Returning after ten minutes, that feral aspect ebbs away. The palate is medium-bodied with supple and sweet tannin. It shakes off that reduction to reveal a nicely defined, quite voluminous finish that is bursting with red fruit. If it does pull through it will deserve a very good mark and I suspect it will do just that.

Bright, dark red. Reduced, very smoky aromas of dark cherry, raspberry and minerals. Tactile, concentrated and classically dry, conveying a strong, chewy impression of dry extract. Not yet as fat or complex as the last three samples but this is quite backward today. Finishes with building tannins and resounding oaky length, with a late hint of orange zest providing lift. Very hard to judge in its present form, but Sebastian Cathiard notes that this wine will not be bottled before April. My projected range may turn out to be overly conservative.