2013 Domaine du Comte Liger Belair, La Romanee Grand Cru

Just bottled a few months ago, the 2013 La Romanée is an absolutely stunning wine with a very bright future. Delicacy and power meld together in a regal Burgundy endowed with statuesque verticality, salivating acidity and tannins that pulse with vitality. A host of violet, plum, licorice and leather overtones grace the exquisite finish. What a gorgeous wine this is.

Deep red-ruby. Wonderfully complex if youthfully reticent aromas of black raspberry, graphite minerality, Oriental spices and smoked meat. Rich, broad, dry and classic, showing no easy sweetness in the early going. Ripe berry, mineral and licorice flavors spread out horizontally to saturate the palate. This very young wine boasts outstanding definition and a firmly tannic, building finish that delivers terrific grip. In a very adult style--and for collectors who can delay gratification.

Monopole. Average age of the vines is about 60 years old. Very dark and brooding. Bit reduced for now but fabulous fruit. Nothing like the depth of a Romanée-Conti but very pure and intense at the same time. Like a stringed instrument with its vibrato quality. Great intensity and freshness. Lovely persistence. Very pure but a hint of crisp green apples rather than anything richer. All very youthful. (JR)