Leroy’s 2005 Romanee-St.-Vivant is improbably dark and deep in color even by her standards, and darkness and depth characterize its personality as well. Clove, cumin, cocoa powder, lily, and black pepper complement a nose of distinctly liqueur-like black fruits. In the mouth, this is liquid velvet. Chocolate-covered black cherries, plum preserves, and truffles are laced with creme de cassis and soy, underlain by a decidedly stony, chalky minerality and a fine but firm web of tannin. By now one realizes that 2005 is an exceptional vintage for this site in and of itself, but one would never confuse the D.R.C. or Potel renditions with this flamboyant, extravagantly-rich version from Leroy. Importer: Martine’s Wines. Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-0400