Vosne Romanée Les Beauxmonts, Domaine Hudelot-Noellat 2010

This had just been racked and not surprisingly was quite closed though aggressive swirling coaxed grudging aromas of spice, wet stone and cassis. The pure and intensely mineral-inflected flavors are shaped by exceptionally fine-grained tannins as well as excellent length on the pure, balanced and energetic finish. This is a wine of finesse and while it's notably finer than the Suchots, it's not as complex or at least not yet.

The 2010 has a lovely, underbrush tinged bouquet that is understated and very natural. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannins, great substance here with weight and persistence on the finish. More texture than flavour at this early stage. Excellent. Tasted January 2012.

(racked a week before my visit): Bright red. Very pure, high-pitched aromas of red fruits, flowers, blood orange and citrus zest. Silky, pretty and sharply delineated, but not showing its texture today. This intense, very pure wine really saturates the mouth with flavor and vibrates on the tangy finish. Notable more for its perfume than for its weight and finishes with very suave, fine-grained tannins.