Wine Advisor
Domaine Leroy, Romanee St Vivant Grand Cru 1995
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Pierre Rovani
Mme. Bize-Leroy generously served me this wine. This dark ruby/purple-colored wine displayed earthy underbrush scents upon being uncorked and then its aromas quickly took on a floral, violet, spice, and red berry-infused freshness. This hugely powerful, velvety-textured, and feminine wine is precise, gloriously focused, and has an even broader body than I remember. Its flavors explode on the palate, coating it with sweet black cherries, Asian spices, roses, blueberries, and traces of chocolate. This supremely elegant yet immensely concentrated wine requires patience - a difficult proposition given how grand it is! Projected maturity: 2005-2020. Bravo! Importers: Martine's Wines, Inc., San Rafael, CA; tel (415) 485-1800, and Paterno Imports, Chicago, IL; tel (847) 604-8900.
Reviewed by: Pierre Rovani
The 1995 Romanee-St.-Vivant is dark ruby-colored with a very slight hint of amber. Dark berries and fresh herbs are found in its tightly-wound aromatics. It is medium-to-full-bodied, massively concentrated, and has exemplary depth of dark, roasted black fruits. It is also fiercely tannic. Projected maturity: 2006-?.
Reviewed by: Pierre Rovani
A consummate perfectionist, Mme. Leroy feels that with the 1995 vintage she has finally understood how to make a stunning Romanee-St.-Vivant. When all the 1995s have reached their respective peaks, Domaine Leroy's Romanee-St.-Vivant (175 cases) will most probably be considered as her greatest wine and one of the best Burgundies ever produced. Tears filled my eyes as I returned, time and again, to my glass. This vineyard is known by the Burgundy cognoscenti as having the most remarkable aromatics to be found, but often lacking volume and texture. Its stunning nose was matched with equally marvelous flavors. Dark ruby/purple colored with engulfing aromas of Asian spices, roses, violets, cassis, and red cherries (intermingled with touches of sweet oak), this medium-to-full bodied wine provided a spiritual, nearly levitating experience. Flavors of chewy dark berries, sweet sauteed mushrooms, and a touch of tar unfolded in this sublimely elegant, complex, deeply concentrated wine. A compelling effort, this classic should be at its best between 2005-2020. This note is the result of tastings I did in Burgundy between January 7 and January 29. The wine was tasted from cask, not bottle. Pinot Noir, a fragile varietal, reacts poorly to fining, filtration, and careless bottling techniques, I recommend caution when considering buying a red burgundy based on cask samples. I called it as I tasted it, and hope the bottled wine reflects the quality of the samples I was provided. I have included the cases production for the wine in order for readers to appreciate the rarity of Leroy's wines. Importer: Martine's Wines, San Raphael, CA; tel. (415) 485-1800.
About the Producer
Lehua is a top-level famous chateau in Burgundy. It has been able to compete with another top-level chateau in Burgundy, DRC, in just over 30 years since its establishment. Le Hua's products have always been valuable in the market. They have long been frequent buyers of Sotheby's wine auctions, and they are also the dream products of many wine collectors. The vineyards owned by Leroy are distributed in 26 legal production areas, subdivided into 46 sub-vineyards, with a total area of 22 hectares. The annual output of omaine Leroy wines of all levels is only 35,000 to 45,000 bottles.
