Bottled in February and tasted at the domaine, the 2011 Romanee Saint Vivant Grand Cru has a sensual bouquet with tart red cherries and wild strawberry that is beautifully embroidered with the oak. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp, slightly chalky tannin. There are hints of spice and cumin infused into the core of black fruit that segue into a delicate and refined finish. It will need several years to fully absorb that oak, but nevertheless this is a very fine grand cru. - Neal Martin

A discreet if broadly spicy nose of violets and black pinot fruit is quite cool and pure. There is a fine sense of focus to the silky-textured medium weight flavors that possess seriously good depth and balance on the strikingly long finish. There is a real sense of harmony here and while the tannins are quite fine they are also dense and this will require at least a decade of cellaring to arrive at its peak. This offers very good if not truly sensational quality, at least not by the very high standards this wine typically achieves.