The 2015 Vosne-Romanée Les Beaux Monts 1er Cru has a wonderful, expressive bouquet, once you get past just a touch of reduction. Black cherries, raspberry and crushed stone all vie for attention, and the oak is very nicely integrated. The palate is sweet and generous on the entry, and super-fine tannins frame a mineral-driven, supremely well focused finish that lingers in the mouth. Top class. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting.

Tasted blind, the 2015 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts showed beautifully, offering up a lovely bouquet of dark, plummy fruit complemented by nuances of incense, Asian spices and smoked duck. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, supple and lavish, with a rich but compellingly sapid core of fruit, juicy acids and largely concealed satiny structuring tannins.

Deep red-ruby. A touch of reduction slightly mutes the extremely primary aromas of purple berries, black cherry and menthol. Then wonderfully round, spicy and sweet, in a surprisingly extroverted style, with boysenberry, black raspberry, chocolate and licorice flavors complemented by a seductive smoky quality. This impressively thick, broad wine delivers outstanding palate coverage without any undue weight. "My style," notes Grivot, who seeks to make elegant wines "with no brutality." He does two to five gentle pigeages per cuvée , more to break the berries and extend the fermentations than merely for the purposes of greater extraction. The extremely long, rising finish features plush tannins. These vines range in age from 20 to 90 years, with the average age around 50, according to Grivot.

Rather smudgy crimson. Relatively dense and slightly cheesy nose. Lots of raciness and energy here. Fine sandy tannins and better structure than in some other Grivot wines where sweet fruit dominates. (JR)