2009 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode

Good ruby-red. Crushed blackberry, raspberry, mocha and menthol on the nose, with a suggestion of superripeness. Silky, juicy and sweet, offering a rare combination of sheer sucrosite and inner-mouth lift; terrific dark fruit intensity here. Shows little sign of surmaturite or heat in spite of the 13.5% alcohol. Finishes with ripe, granular tannins, a note of licorice and lingering sweetness. The Pavelots made 40 barrels of this superb and atypically powerful wine. (ST)

Bright medium-deep red. Black cherry, licorice, menthol and mint, with a floral topnote. Silky on entry, then powerful and impressively intense in the middle, with terrific lift to its palate-saturating dark fruit and licorice flavors. Less plump than the Gravains but more complex. Finishes with a medicinal reserve and lovely lingering perfume. A great Savigny wine with Cote de Nuits-like nuance.