Romanee St Vivant 2009

As it usually the case, here the nose is even more elegant and prettier with a highly perfumed, layered and relatively high-toned aromatic profile that is quite floral along with offering up notes of oriental tea and exotic spice on the mostly red and blue pinot fruit scents. The detailed and ultra-refined flavors are crystalline in their purity and while they don't have the robust power of the Grands Echézeaux, there is notably more finesse and even a bit more overall length on the mildly austere finish. It's hard to capture mouth feel in words but think of lacy and silky textured flavors that possess a truly fine grain and you'll have a good idea about the palate impression of the '09 RSV. In a word, brilliant.

Score: 96

Allen Meadows, Burghound Maturity: 2029+ 10 January 2012