1995 Romanee St Vivant

In wine circles, the politically correct thing for those who do more pontificating than tasting is to bash those Burgundies imported by Bobby Kacher as being over-oaked wines that taste the same. Such remarks are completely inane and obviously made by people who have not tasted through his portfolio. Claude Dugat's sweet luscious cherry fruit has nothing to do with Jayer-Gilles' dark berries; Ambroise's boisterous, powerful wines have little in common with Confuron's elegant, feminine beauties. What Kacher's growers do have in common is a desire to make the finest wines their terroirs can. With the exception of Jayer and Albert Morot, they were, prior to Kacher's representation, an unknown band of vineyard owners who had the desire to progress. Today, each one is known for making fabulous wines in separate, distinctive and individual styles. Moreover, some of Kacher's growers have become the benchmark producers for their specific appellations. One of the most memorable wines of my trip, Meunier's dark-colored Romanee-St.-Vivant (aged in 40% new oak) rocked my olfactory senses with its sublimely elegant nose of mocha and cinnamon covered berries. Full-bodied, it possesses a silky texture, gorgeous sweetness and a super-refined combination of cherries, flowers and spice in the long and enticing finish. Drink 2003-2015. This note is the result of tastings I did in Burgundy between January 7 and January 29. The wine was tasted from cask, not bottle. Pinot Noir, a fragile varietal, reacts poorly to fining, filtration, and careless bottling techniques, I recommend caution when considering buying a red burgundy based on cask samples. I called it as I tasted it, and hope the bottled wine reflects the quality of the samples I was provided. Importer: Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 832-9083.