2014 Domaine de Bellene, Vosne-Romanee Premier Cru, Les Suchots

The 2014 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots has a lovely, sumptuous, generous bouquet with raspberry coulis, strawberry and cranberry aromas that yell at you, "Suchots!" The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, dark berry fruit here that is tightly wound at the moment, but there is good depth and once it finds its "groove," this should turn out to be one of Nicolas Potel's best wines from this appéllation.

(from a vineyard planted in 1937; 33% new oak): Good full red. Ripe, musky scents of black raspberry, dark chocolate and smoky minerality. Sweeter than the Quartiers de Nuits but with a savory complexity to its sappy, almost liqueur-like raspberry and wild herb flavors. This is plusher and silkier than the village wine, with its almost chocolatey ripeness leavened by light pepper and herb nuances.

Whole bunch. 25% new oak. Dark crimson. Pungent and juicy. Very drying tannins on the end. Almost sandpaper-like! A tad bitter on the end. (JR)