2001 Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru

Bright red. Strikingly perfumed nose offers an array of intense red berry and floral scents, deepened by smoked meat, baking spices and minerals. Poised and fresh, with strawberry, raspberry and kirsch flavors lifted by minerals and tangy blood orange on the back. There's a weightless quality here that belies the intensity of fruit the wine delivers on the palate. A smoky notes builds on the long, intensely sweet finish, which is beautifully pure and focused but also youthfully tight. If you own some of this, you're extremely fortunate. (JR)

Deep ruby. This is even more explosive than it was a year ago with seductive, very dark and expressive smoky black Vosne fruit that is laced through and through with anise, tea and seemingly endless variations of Oriental spice. The moderately structured flavors deliver a stunningly beautiful mix of spice, intensity and perfectly integrated structure. In short, this is a superb effort with terrific persistence.