2016 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, DRC, Romanee-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru, Bottle (750ml)

VM96 "The 2016 Romanee-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru, picked on September 27-28 at 27hL/ha, has a heavenly, perfumed nose of blackberry, briar, wet limestone, incense and pressed iris flowers, displaying much more fruit intensity than the Corton alongside. There are subtle graphite notes that develop with aeration - the old-school pencil box, though it is never more than a fleeting suggestion. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin and quite rounded in the mouth, and that graphite tincture builds toward the second half. I adore the energy and balletic poise of this Romanee-Saint-Vivant as it deftly fans out toward the finish, exerting grip, but with the softest of touches, and offering deceiving weight and depth. A wine that exudes panache and sophistication." NM for VM Feb 2019

DR96 "The Romanée-St-Vivant is beautiful in 2016, bursting from the glass with aromas of wild berries, violet, peony, coniferous forest floor and a classy framing of new oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, complete and sapid, its velvety chassis of tannins cloaked in succulent fruit, its finish long, sappy and tense. This is superb, and certainly more immediate than the Grand-Echezeaux for now, although it's harder to say which will be the better of the two in thirty years’ time." WK for DR Oct 2017

BH95 "A more restrained and cooler nose reflects super-fresh and floral-inflected aromas of exceptionally spicy red and dark currant, violet, plum and tea. There is a highly refined mouthfeel to the almost lacy yet concentrated middle weight flavors that possess first-rate complexity on the balanced and wonderfully persistent if youthfully austere finish. This crunchy effort is class in a glass with its emphasis on finesse which is quite different from the evident power and punch of the Corton. Textbook built-to-age RSV." AM for BH Jan 2019

RP95 "The 2016 Romanée-St-Vivant Grand Cru is super, bursting from the glass with a kaleidoscopic bouquet of potpourri, red berries, cassis, peony and rose petal. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, ample and fine-boned, with tangy acids, superb concentration and an ample chassis of powdery structuring tannins, concluding with a long, fragrant finish. This is a Romanée-St-Vivant that exemplifies the intensity without the weight that distinguishes the Domaine's best wines, and it equals the fabulous 2015 rendition." WK for TWA Jan 2019