Grivot’s 2005 Vosne-Romanee Les Suchots smells sweetly of ripe black raspberry and cassis with brown spices, offers an almost fat generosity of ripe fruit and rich texture on the palate, yet contrasts that with saline, chalky minerality and never loses its thread of fresh fruit acidity. The finish erupts with ripe fruit, flowers, and spice. This combines amplitude with energy. Grivot is certainly right to call it the most extroverted of his Vosne crus, adding “perhaps a little too much so,” but why should it hide its sex appeal? Etienne Grivot aimed this year for gentle extraction (essentially without pigeage), then watchful preservation of the freshness, subtleties and refinement inherent in near-perfect raw material. He performed some very light chaptalization to extend the fermentations. Given the health and natural concentration of his vinous raw material, he felt no need to sulfur or rack the wines until shortly prior to bottling (without filtration), which was the stage at which I tasted. Importer: Diageo Chateau and Estate Wines Company, New York, NY; tel. (212) 419-1400.