Grivot’s 2005 Vosne-Romanee Les Beaumonts delivers scents of blackberry, cassis, violets, fennel, and pungent brown spices. Clear and invigorating in fruit, yet creamy and mouth-coating, this brings spices, flowers and a note of chalk into its long, refined finish. The tannins are superbly fine and the longer this opens in the glass the more perfumed it becomes.
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.