2017 Joseph Drouhin, Vosne-Romanee Premier Cru, Les Petits Monts

The 2017 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Petits Monts is showing superbly from bottle, wafting from the glass with a youthfully reserved bouquet of sweet red berries, spices, rose petal and grilled squab. While the aromas take time to unfurl, on the palate, the wine's quality is unmissable: medium to full-bodied, it caresses the palate, its exquisitely refined tannins entirely concealed in a succulent core of fruit. Entirely harmonious and integrated, even at this early stage, expect this Petits Monts to deliver real fireworks after 10 years of bottle age, even if it will be approachable before that.

The 2017 Vosne-Romanée Les Petits Monts 1er Cru is one of the last vineyards Drouhin picked, and there is just a little bit of vinification intégrale used in this wine. It has quite a powerful bouquet of strawberry pastilles, raspberry and light rose petal aromas, quite pure and complex, deserving of this excellent Premier Cru. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, beautiful pure cranberry and raspberry fruit and real race and vigor toward the structured finish. This is one of the best Petits Monts I have tasted this vintage. Five barrels produced.

Above Richebourg so in 'good company'. Five barrels on average. Part of the fruit was vinified whole cluster in a 500-litre barrel. One of the latest harvested. Cask sample. Mid crimson. A more obvious ripeness on the nose. Rounded and generous. Spicy, more obviously oaky. Deep and chewy and fresh. Firmly structured but with ripe fruit at the core. (JH)