Vinous – 92-94

(13.2% natural alcohol, from vines picked at the end): Full ruby-red. Aromas of blackberry, cassis, licorice and spices convey a gamey wildness plus a whiff of adhesive tape that quickly dissipated. Densely packed and a bit high-toned, with no lack of acidity to the flavors of crushed blackberry and tropical dark chocolate. This very ripe but taut Romanée-Saint-Vivant, from 80-year-old vines that yielded 33 hectoliters per hectare in 2015, seems youthfully sullen today and its dusty tannins are a bit tough in the early going. It will need longer in barrel–not to mention considerable time in bottle–to absorb some of its baby fat and show itself more clearly. Will it eventually reveal the clarity and class for greatness? [Stephen Tanzer, 01/01/2017]