1993 - Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts, Leroy

NOTE: Prices quoted are for single bottles, not cases! The two premier crus from Vosne-Romanee may turn out to be perfect wines, making Lalou Bize-Leroy's performance in 1993 unprecedented - at least in terms of my career as a wine tasting professional. The Vosne-Romanee Les Beaux Monts is less exotic and more classically structured than the Vosne-Romanee Les Brulees, with a more backward, tannic personality. Splendidly concentrated, powerful, and pure, it is a compelling wine. When I traveled through Burgundy, it appeared Lalou Bize-Leroy may have as many critics as I do. Some producers accuse her of adding "Alicante" to her wines because she obtains such a deep color. Others claim she is hiding hundreds of cases of grand crus in another cellar since her yields cannot "possibly be so low." Of course all of this is nonsense, not to mention appallingly jealous behavior from producers who are scared to death that other growers might decide to follow in Lalou's footsteps. For now, Bize-Leroy stands at the top of the Burgundy pyramid, alone both literally and figuratively in her pursuit of the finest Burgundy can produce. I will keep my tasting notes brief, recognizing that in this situation it is almost criminal to try and describe wines that may be the greatest red Burgundies I will taste in my life. As even the immodest Lalou Bize-Leroy says, these wines are "an accident of nature." Tasting them, with their extraordinary ripeness, unctuosity, and opulence, with no hard tannin to be found, makes one think that 1993 was a completely different vintage for Domaine Leroy than it was for other Burgundians. Yes, Mama, low yields do translate into physiologically ripe fruit, concentrated wines, and exquisite quality. It goes without saying that everything in this cellar was aged in 100% new French oak (you cannot detect any oak in the wines because of their concentration), and bottled without fining or filtration - as usual. No, Cindy Crawford wasn't sitting on