Lalou Bize-Leroy's Vosne-Romanee-Les Brulees and Vosne-Romanee-Les Beaumonts are both sensational wines, but they could not be more different. The Vosne-Romanee-Les Beaumonts is a more subtle, more classic example of a top premier cru Vosne-Romanee. It does not soar from the glass with the exotic, smoky, roasted character of the Les Brulees, but it does offer authoritative and persistent aromas of black fruits, herbs, underbrush, and sweet oak. While it displays exceptional concentration of flavor in the mouth, it is supported by higher levels of tannin and is a more structured, denser, richer wine than the Les Brulees. Since the tannins are more noticeable, it should be cellared for 7-8 years, and should last for 30 or more. This profound wine is one of the superstars of the vintage.Importer: Martine's Wines, San Rafael, CA.

The 1990 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts is deeper, firmer and more muscular than the 2000 that I drank alongside it, but nor could it match its younger sibling for aromatic range, finesse or charm. For the better part of an hour, it showed brilliantly, delivering complex aromas of spices, wild berries, orange rind, plums, smoked meats and creamy oak, but later in the evening, the rather roasted quality that often distinguishes the 1990 red Burgundy vintage became more and more prominent. It's a medium to full-bodied, nicely balanced wine with fine, chalky structuring tannins and tangy acids, but in the final analysis, it couldn't equal the performance of the 2000.