Wafting from the glass with aromas of creamy berry fruit, rich spices, plum preserves, loamy soil and new oak, Cathiard's 2020 Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru is full-bodied, rich and concentrated, with impressively tangy acids and a tightly wound mid-palate. Still youthfully primary, it will be fascinating to revisit in bottle.

As usual, there are three barrels of Cathiard's 2015 Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru, though whereas historically it was 100% new oak, there are two new and a single one-year-old barrel maturing this wine. It finished its malolactic in June. It has a very composed and pure bouquet that gains in volume with time, with aeration bunches of wilted violet. The palate is medium-bodied with silky tannin, great structure and freshness here, the judicious use of new oak allowing the terroir to show through. It feels correct and strict on the finish, no bravura climax, rather finishing in more understated fashion and keeping you hooked.