Vosne Romanée Les Beauxmonts, Domaine Emmanuel Rouget 2015

The 2015 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru les Beaumonts, raised entirely in new oak, has a bewitchingly pure and intense dark cherry and blackcurrant-scented bouquet with subtle violet scents that emerge with time. Oh yes... The palate is medium-bodied with succulent ripe dark cherry and blackcurrant fruit, a touch of dried blood and morels, leading to a refined yet intense finish. This is an absolutely outstanding Vosne-Romanée, sadly just two and a half barrels for the world to drink.

**Note: from two parcels of 50+ year old vines in Flagey that total .2915 ha**
Discreet but not invisible wood sets off the super-spicy nose that also offers up airy notes of cassis, plum, floral and tea scents. There is a lovely sense of vibrancy and even more minerality-suffusing the alluringly textured medium-bodied flavors that brim with dry extract on the once again beautifully complex and persistent finish. Despite the seductive and highly refined texture, the firm tannins make it quite clear that this is going to require at least 7 to 8 years to be approachable.

The 2015 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts reveals an expressive, alluring nose of wood smoke, wild black fruit and violets that is already integrating its lavish application of high-quality new oak. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied and ample, its chassis of fine tannins cloaked in a deep core of dark fruit. This hasn't yet begun to shut down, but when it does, plan to forget it for a decade. From 70-year-old vines, with a finished alcohol of 14.2%—making it one of the highest-octane cuvées in the Rouget cellar this year.