Domaine Poisot Romanee Saint Vivant 2016

The Vineyard 

Poisot own half a hectar of fifty year old wines that lie in the climat les Clous des Quatre Journaux directy at the lower end of Romanee Conti. This vinyard is their share of the Louis Latour heritage. Latour bought the vinyard from the Marey Monge who bought virtually the whole Romanee Saint Vivant which had been confiscated from the church at the time of the French Revolution. To avoid soil compaction by tractors the Romanee Saint Vivant is ploughed by horse. The vines are trained with simple Guyot. In spring they are cut back to six shoots so each wine will produce six grapes. They are trelliced and canopy thinning is practiced when necessary to increase the intensity of sun shine. During the harvest rotten and unripe grapes are discarded.

Vinification, elevage and bottling

Remi Poisot destems the grapes 100 % and this not just for the Romanee Saint Vivant and leaves them in open vats where they undergo a coald soak at temperatures between 13 and 17 centigrade before fermentation sets spontaneously. Fermentation lasts for a good two weeks and pigeage and remontage are practiced daily. The Romanee Saint Vivant spends about 18 months in oak barrels of which 30 to 50 % are new. It has been separated from its yeast after malolactic fermentation and is assembled in steel tanks and bottled unfiltered after another four week. The wine is very rare as only 1200 to 2400 bottles are made every year.

The vintage

2016 is an exceptional year which is only matched by 2010 in the last 25 years. It has a perfect balance between ripe but fresh, intense, fruit and perfect structure with just the ideal levels of acidity and tannin. Expect to be patient though! 

Tasting

Poisot's  Romanee Saint Vivant captures you from the first seconds with its intense perfume which seems to fill the whole room: red and black fruit, exotic spices, violets,  aromas that can only be experience but hardly be described in their multi layered complexity. This is pinot noir in perfection that clads its tightly packed aromas in silk and flows over the palate weightlessly, which is structured from the concentrated middle and fills the palate completel. Thus richness is combined with an almost immaterial subtlety and delicacy. It shows a harmony and an intensity of aromas which even in a lifelong quest for the perfect pinot noir, you rarely find.

Development and potential

It is so good that it is hard to resist but will probably close down. It should be cellared at least until 2032 when it should start to open up again to approach its peak around 2036 and last until 2060.