The 2010 Morey-Saint-Denis La Riotte 1er Cru has matured well in bottle, delivering clean and pure red cherry, crushed strawberry and raspberry preserve scents, just a hint of wilted rose petal developing with time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, supple tannin. It feels crisp and focused, quite mineral-driven with a precise finish that just refuses to fan out, as I would have liked. Still, give this La Riotte another year in bottle because I can see this evolving fascinating secondary flavours. Tasted at Flint Wines’ Taupenot-Merme retrospective.

The 2010 Morey Saint Denis La Riotte literally hovers on the palate. This is an especially weightless, gracious Morey endowed with gorgeous length and finesse. Dark cherries, spices and licorice are some of the many notes that are layered into the long, pure finish. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2022. Romain Taupenot lost between 25-40% of his 2010 production to the poor weather, although some of his lower lying parcels were down as much as 80%. Fortunately the Grand Crus were down only 15% on average. The harvest began on September 23. Taupenot reported that the fruit required some sorting in the winery. Importers: Winebow, Montvale, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620, Imported by Scott Paul Wines, Carlton, OR; tel. (503) 852 7300; J.A.O. Wine Imports, McLean, VA; [email protected]