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There are three barrels of the 2012 Romanee-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru from 75-year old vines. It has a fragrant bouquet that offers a smorgasbord of red berry fruits and minerals to the point where the new wood in imperceptible. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent, ripe tannins and very well judged acidity. The finish is more linear that other vintages that I have tried from barrel, nicely focused with a touch of spice popping up on the extraordinary long aftertaste.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96 RP(these vines are 75 years old, according to Cathiard): Bright, dark red. Subtle aromas of crushed cherry, minerals and smoke verge on liqueur-like. Then creamy-sweet and superrich in the mouth, delivering outstanding plushness and a seamless texture. This very large-scaled wine boasts terrific volume. Finishes with substantial but firm tannins and lingering notes of sweet raspberry and spicy oak. I wanted a bit more complexity and grip for an even higher score: am I underrating this grand cru today?Vinous Media | 93+ VMA strikingly spicy nose offers up notes composed of essence of red pinot fruit, black currant, violets and sandalwood. In much the same fashion as the En Orveaux this possesses an ultra-refined mouth feel as the shaping tannins are quite fine-grained that could not be more different compared to that of the Malconsorts yet this is perhaps even longer. Even at such a young state of development this is a remarkably harmonious wine of understated grace. Wow.Burghound | 93-96 BH

Here the equally brooding nose is slightly more elegant with its cool and restrained nose of red currant, cassis, spice and earth scents that are trimmed in just enough wood to notice. Like the Poisets this is notably rich with its relatively large-scaled flavors that also enjoy good density thanks to the abundant dry extract that also coats the palate and pushes the firmer supporting tannins to the background. Lovely.Burghound | 90-92 BH(vinified with 40% whole clusters): Medium red. Fruit-driven aromas of red cherry and strawberry. The silkiest and thickest of these 2014s to this point but with plenty of energy and cut. Boasts a sexy stem component and finishes juicy and persistent, with plenty of ripe tannins. Charles Lachaux told me that he uses the whole-cluster fermentation to soften the structure of this wine and he predicts that it will make a nice drink in five years, earlier than past vintages.Vinous Media | 89-92 VM

Bright red with ruby tones. Pungent crushed-rock high tones to the aromas and flavors of blackberry, cassis, mint, licorice and minerals. The spicy palate displays a hint of wildness and a peppery accent but the wine is extremely primary today. Best now on the juicy, slowly opening finish, which hints at the explosive fruit to come. There are plenty of tannins here but they’re more pliant than those of the Clos Vougeot.Vinous Media | 94 VMThe pungent nose displays only reduction and menthol. There is superb delineation to the mineral-driven, sleek and muscular flavors that possess the same lovely mouth feel thanks to the unusually fine-grained tannins that shape the moderately austere, balanced and hugely long finale. This beauty will also require plenty of patience.Burghound | 93-95 BH

A restrained, indeed almost mute nose only grudgingly offers up notes of various red berries along with hints of plum, lilac and spice. There is a beguiling mouth feel to the generous yet sleek middle weight flavors that are again shaped by refined tannins before culminating in a youthfully austere finish that is firm, balanced and solidly persistent. This is a first-rate Vosne villages and is also worth considering.Burghound | 90 BHThe 2014 la Colombière had also been racked three weeks before our tasting and this was a bit more reticent in personality after its recent racking. With a little coaxing, the nose eventually offers up quite a complex blend of red plums, raspberries, cocoa, a touch of nuttiness, a good base of soil, duck and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, pure and adolescent, with a good sappy core, fine transparency, ripe, moderate tannins and very good length and grip on the finish. This will be very good. (Drink between 2020 - 2045)John Gilman | 90-91 JGThe 2014 Vosne Romanée les Colombières is blessed with lovely pure fruit on the nose, fuller than some premier crus Vosne-Romanées with impressive fruité. The palate is medium-bodied with a succulent entry, nicely judged acidity and good mineralité. This is a stylish and suave les Colombières with a pleasing saline tang right on the finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 89-91 RP

Light in colour, with a certain attractive evolution in the bouquet, very sensual, lifted raspberry and alpine strawberry. This is a Vosne-Romanée which is all about the delicacy, perfumed and succulent up front, lighter behind. Perhaps just a little soft at the finish but with a heavenly fruit quality. Just the style that Charles Lachaux is trying to achieve. Tasted: October 2020.Jasper Morris | 91 JMAromatically the nose possesses a similar fruit profile but it’s notably spicier. There is also a bit more concentration to the medium-bodied flavors that possess a more refined mouthfeel before terminating in a saline and lingering finish. The refinement is mostly due to the dense but fine tannins and this should age well for its level.Burghound | 89-91 BH

The 2017 Beaumonts from Cécile Tremblay is also outstanding, showing off the inherent elegance of the vintage on both its nose and palate. The bouquet is a refined blend of plums, red and black cherries, dark soil tones, Vosne spices, a touch of sweet stems again, fresh nutmeg and nutty new oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, soil-driven and very complex, with a superb core of fruit, fine-grained tannins, bright acids and excellent length and grip on the poised and very, very promising finish. (Drink between 2027 - 2065)John Gilman | 94 JGThe 2017 Vosne-Romanée Les Beaux Monts 1er Cru, matured in 60% new oak, has one of the most sensual bouquets from Cécile Tremblay this year, with plenty of crushed strawberry, rose petals and flecks of dark chocolate. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, the new oak more conspicuous than in other crus at the moment, so give this at least two or three years to subsume the wood; there is plenty of substance to soak it up. Should drink well for 12 to 18 years.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMFirm reduction dominates the nose. Otherwise there is excellent tension to the almost painfully intense and wonderfully refined mineral-driven flavors that are impressively long, complex and notably better balanced. However the finish is also notably firmer so at least some patience advised.Jasper Morris | 92-96 JMAromas of smoked duck, cassis and smoky plums introduce the 2017 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaumonts, a satiny, medium to full-bodied wine with a characteristically generous, ample profile, framed by velvety structuring tannins. It’s one of the more gourmand wines in the cellar.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RPFirm reduction dominates the nose. Otherwise there is excellent tension to the almost painfully intense and wonderfully refined mineral-driven flavors that are impressively long, complex and notably better balanced. However the finish is also notably firmer so at least some patience advised.Burghound | 91-94 BH

There isn’t much of this grand cru to go around, alas, as the Cathiard parcel is a mere 0.17ha. But what a wine it is: plush yet refined, with scented oak, plenty of depth and spice, subtle reduction and layered bramble and black cherry fruit. Fresh and alluring.Decanter | 96 DECOne of the wines of the vintage, the 2017 Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru unfurls in the glass with a stunning bouquet of plums, raspberries, dark chocolate, Asian spice, rose petals and rich soil tones. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, enveloping and multidimensional, with stunning concentration and depth at the core, its ample chassis of fine, satiny tannins entirely cloaked in succulent fruit, its finish long and delineated. This is a stunning wine that entirely transcends the limitation of the year.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95-97 RPThe 2017 Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru, two new barrels out of three in total, has a very refined, supremely focused bouquet of perfumed scents of black cherries, strawberry pastilles and subtle orange blossom aromas. The medium-bodied palate is extremely precise and detailed, with very fine tannin and transparent mineralité toward the finish (as if you can feel the "bones" of this R.S.V.). Sensual and intellectual to boot.Vinous Media | 95-97 VMTwo new barrels out of three. Rich dense black core with an intense purple rim. The nose suggests a wealth of fruit to come but not ready to deliver yet., The front of the mouth fills up very nicely but the back delivers even more. Proper tension at the finish, this time more black fruit than red. At the moment the wine is more about intensity than elegance but this will certainly follow. Tasted: November 2018.Jasper Morris | 95-97 JMAn exuberantly fresh if restrained nose offers up a panoply of spice elements to the primarily red berry fruit aromas that display additional breadth with hints of orange pekoe tea, lavender and a whisper of sandalwood. The lacy yet concentrated middle weight flavors possess a highly refined mouthfeel and first-rate complexity on the balanced and wonderfully persistent if youthfully austere finish. Like the Malconsorts, this is gorgeous but it is also very clearly built for long-term cellaring.Burghound | 93-96 BH

I can’t remember a more appealing sample of the Aux Thorey premier cru at this young stage from Sébastien Cathiard. Made with grapes from a 0.43ha parcel planted in 1953, it has a wonderful combination of sweetness, acidity, structure, and plush black cherry and orange zest flavours.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2017 Nuits Saint-Georges Aux Thorey 1er Cru is consistent with my previous notes. Raspberry and black cherries, less cassis than noted out of barrel and more Pinoté than expected. The palate is well-balanced with fine-grain tannins. It’s quite Vosne-like thanks to its florality, with a subtle oyster shell-tinged finish. It still requires a couple of years in bottle, but it’s getting there.Vinous Media | 93 VMThe 2017 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Aux Thorey offers up a lovely bouquet of cassis, blackberries, warm spices, licorice and peony. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, ample and layered, with superb concentration and an earthier, chewier profile than the Murgers this year—despite the finesse of its tannins.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RPA still youthfully fresh, pure, cool and restrained nose offers an appealingly spicy array of red currant, cherry and soft earth nuances. The mouthfeel of the energetic medium weight flavors is wonderfully refined while possessing fine complexity on the balanced, lingering and still slightly austere finale. Lovely stuff fashioned in an understated style that is still clearly on the way up though another 5 to 7 years should see it at its full maturity. I would note that this isn’t so backward that it couldn’t be enjoyed now if you don’t feel like waiting!Burghound | 91 BHFullish purple with a lighter rim. Some density of red fruit, not quite so intense, certainly ripe, a slight tarriness from the wood, perhaps because of a late malolactic fermentation. It does give grip to the finish though. Tasted: November 2018.Jasper Morris | 90-94 JM