The Arnoux 2007 Romanee Saint-Vivant smells of smoked meats, resin, lightly-cooked black fruits, and forest floor. Palpably dense and a bit stewed, its opacity is the antithesis of the best wines of 2008, yet it’s...
The Arnoux 2007 Romanee Saint-Vivant smells of smoked meats, resin, lightly-cooked black fruits, and forest floor. Palpably dense and a bit stewed, its opacity is the antithesis of the best wines of 2008, yet it’s impossible to resist the blandishments of this cru’s sheer berry-sweetness, cocoa powder richness, and saliva-inducing, salt-tinged meatiness. I would look for ten or a dozen years of satisfaction from this, perhaps more, but at the same time, I’m skeptical that it will need to be held for more than a few years to reveal its full potential. - David Schildknecht