Wine Advisor
Domaine Leroy, Romanee St Vivant Grand Cru 1996
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Pierre Rovani
Mme. Bize-Leroy generously served me this wine. This dark colored wine offers a mind-blowing nose of dried roses, small wild berry fruit, and Asian spices. This is liquid silk! It is soft and supple, yet powerful, concentrated, and massively complex. Red currants, flowers, cherries, blood oranges, and viscous blueberry juice can be found in this intricate, show-stopping wine. It is supremely elegant, remarkably long, and stunning. Drink this gem between 2004 and 2010+. 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 healthy dark ruby/purple-colored 1996 Romanee-St.-Vivant reveals gorgeous dark currant, black cherry, and spice aromas. It has huge depth and concentration to its massively powerful, refined character. Raspberries, both red and black, plums, spices, as well as herbs can be discerned in its complex flavor profile. It remains youthfully firm, and will require patience. Drink it between 2005 and 2010+.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted blind in Hong Kong, the Romanée-Saint-Vivant 1996 from Domaine Leroy was actually a last minute substitute donated by a generous guest following a string of corked wines. It is an absolutely stunning wine that transfixed everyone before we knew its identity (and here, I must confess that I suggested it was Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.) It's actually better than that. It has a heavenly bouquet of black cherries, cold limestone and wilted flower petals that you could just sit back and inhale all day. The palate is exquisitely balanced with filigree tannin, extremely pure and refined with astonishing tension and precision from start to finish. It's the vinous equivalent of watching "Swan Lake."
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.
