1998 Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanée Les Beaux Monts 1er Cru

Elegant and spicy fruit lead to medium weight, slightly hard flavors that will require several more years to soften though this will probably always have a certain edginess to it. This is really very pretty but best with food if you choose to open one now or in the next few years.

Author: Allen Meadows

Full ruby-red. Very primary, floral aromas of crushed dark berries and violet. Supple and densely packed but also tangy and penetrating. Captivating, complex cassis and black cherry inner-mouth perfume.

Has the firm structure of the vintage without being hard. Finishes quite long and bright and solidly tannic. Should be a vin de garde. Grivot says a few of his '98 cuv‚es, including this one, should exceed his excellent '96s in complexity and volume.

Author: Stephen Tanzer

Issue: March/April 2000