2005 - Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts, Leroy

Deep ruby-red. Knockout nose combines dark fruits, minerals and flowers. Lush, sweet and stuffed with fruits and minerals. For all its size, this boasts terrific clarity and verve, not to mention refinement. Wonderfully broad, rich and deep without any undue weight. In its palate coverage and outstanding length, this struck me as like a mini-Richebourg. A knockout in the making.

All of the Leroy 2005s boast deep, dark color, but I should note that the 2005 Vosne Romanee Les Beaux Monts sets a new standard among them for noir saturation, as it does also for sheer aromatic intensity, albeit with a familiar cast, including black cherry, tobacco, and lilies. Voluminous and luminous in the mouth, this exhibits a continuation of the Leroy alliance of liqueur-like and fresh fruit aspects, amazingly precocious and beguiling creaminess of texture, and deep meatiness, buried truffles, and soy-like savor. It may miss the mystery of a few of its predecessors, but like Leroy’s Santenots, this Beaux Monts is compellingly sweet, rich, seamless and pure. There is a sultry sense about it, but no real heat in the finish. Importer: Martine’s Wines. Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-0400