A remarkably vivid wine, the 2010 Vosne-Romanee Les Beaux Monts is totally alive in the glass. Sweet spices, menthol and tar emerge on the bouquet, followed by deep, baritone layers of dark fruit. The 2010 boasts stunning depth and richness, with seemingly endless persistence on the huge, imposing finish. Once again, the comparison with Brulees is instructive. Here the aromas are much more intense, dark and spiced. Both wines possess staggering textural finesse. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2040. Lalou Bize-Leroy is always among the first growers to bottle, as she was once again in 2010. Therefore, I have chosen to present final, in-bottle reviews of the 2010 reds along with the Domaine Leroy and D’Auvenay 2010 whites. All of the wines came in at or near the top of my barrel scores. Thinking back to the day I tasted the 2010s from barrel in a very empty-looking cellar, I am reminded, that, as elsewhere, the already minuscule quantities of these wines was made even smaller by the mercilessly short crop in 2010. Readers who can find the wines should not hesitate. In this vintage, the Leroy wines are deeply marked by terroir. Although I don’t share all of her views, tasting with Lalou Bize-Leroy is always a fascinating experience, as everything she does is informed by the deepest and most total conviction imaginable. There is no more ardent exponent of the most fundamental of all Burgundian values – the concept of terroir – than Lalou Bize-Leroy. Importer: Martine’s Wines. Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-040