France

The 2003 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots is showing very well, wafting from the glass with a complex aromatic mélange of dark berry fruit, orange rind, peonies, cinnamon, smoked meats and rich spices that are framed by a nicely integrated application of new oak and strongly recall the wines of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, fleshy and muscular, with powdery tannins that assert themselves more and more prominently the longer the wine sits in the glass, good concentration at the core and ripe but lively acids. This Suchots is still a few years away from attaining its plenitude, but its quality is already apparent.