2010 Vosne Romanee Les Petits Monts

The 2010 Vosne-Romanée Les Petits Monts is a beautifully textured wine. Sweet red fruit, flowers, mint, licorice and spices are some of the notes that emerge from the glass. This, too, shows hints of reduction that blow off with time. Saline layers of minerality give the wine much of its energy and focus.

The 2010 Vosne-Romanee Les Petits Monts is a beautifully textured wine. Sweet red fruit, flowers, mint, licorice and spices are some of the notes that emerge from the glass. This, too, shows hints of reduction that blow off with time. Saline layers of minerality give the wine much of its energy and focus. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030. Louis-Michel Liger-Belair’s wines keep getting better. The improvement is less a reflection of the underlying vintages and more the result of the work the estate has done to convert their vineyards to biodynamic farming. These are some of the most unique and compelling wines being made anywhere in Burgundy. The house style emphasizes the weightless transparency, finesse and sweetness that only Pinot Noir (and perhaps Nebbiolo) is capable of. As good as the 2010s are, the 2009s have also turned out beautifully. I will report on those wines in the April issue. Readers may also want to check out my video interview with Louis-Michel Liger-Belair posted on www.erobertparker.com for more historical perspective on the domaine. Importer: Grand Cru Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 974-2500

(from 60-year-old vines; this and the following wines were tasted from barrel): Good deep red. Expressive nose combines dark berries, flinty minerality and nuances of crushed stone and game. Sweet, sappy and aromatic, with nicely integrated acidity giving definition and lift to the fruit, spice and savory soil flavors. Finishes classically dry, with broad, fine-grained tannins and lovely vibrating persistence. Liger-Belair relied strictly on infusion here; he did no "mechanical" extraction of tannins during vinification.