Wine: 1999 Vosne-Romanée "Les Beaux Monts" (1er)

Producer: Domaine Michel Noëllat et Fils (Vosne-Romanée)

Comment: (from vines planted in 1930). Extremely pure, fine, spicy and elegant black fruits with medium weight, silky flavors that display an exquisite velvety texture plus real breadth on the mid-palate. Like many 1999s, this is not particularly dense but there is enough material and underlying tannic backbone to allow for 6 to 10 years of potential development. Serious, long and lovely with outstanding persistence and truly excellent transparency of the underlying terroir. In fact, for those who are curious about exploring the characteristics of a classic Vosne, this would be a perfect choice. And for those who don't want to wait, there is so much exuberant spice and fruit, pinot baby fat and sève that this can be enjoyed now. And perhaps most important, it's rare to find any Burgundy that delivers this level of quality for $50 (I´ve seen this offered for $40) and thus it offers terrific value as well. Highly recommended. 91/2008-15

U.S. Importer: Esquin Imports, San Anselmo, CA; New France Wine Co., St. Paul, MN; Fine Vines LLC, Melrose Park, IL; Mark Yonce Selections; Newport News, VA; Vineyard Expressions; Ithaca, NY

Suggested Price: $55 (you can expect to pay $40 to $55)

Important Note: Burghound.com has no financial relationship of any kind with Domaine Noëllat, with any of the importers of the Noëllat wines or with any retailer selling this wine.

Each week we feature a different Burgundy. While there will be a mix of vintages, most wines featured will be those that can normally be found at a variety of fine wine retailers. Each wine will be described and rated with a suggested window of peak drinkability indicated after the numerical score. Prices shown are estimated retail in the U.S., but prices do of course vary widely depending on the retailer.