Poisot 2014 Romanee-Saint-Vivant

Poisots Romanee-Saint-Vivant lies directly located between Romanee Conti and La Tache and is one of Burgundy's best kept secrets.

The Vineyard

The Poisot family own about half a hectare of Romanee Saint Vivant in the very best part of the vineyard called le Clous de quatre Journaux bordering on Romanee Conti itself. The vines have an average age of 50 years. Before the Name La Romanee - later split into its Conti and Saint Vivant Abbay section - became customary, the core of Romanee Conti, measuring about 1,5 h was known as Le Clou de cinq Journaux and the best Part of Romanee Saint Vivant was the Clou de quatre Journaux measuring about 1,2 ha. The whole Clou de quatre Journaux was bought by Louis latour around the year 1900 and in 1910 the Poisot family inherit their share of it, with one family member selling their share of it to Domaine Arlot, with the remaing half hectare forming the core of Domaine Poisot

The vintage

2014 is an excellent year with perfect harmony of ripe tannin, acidity and delighfully expressive, fine fruit. It can lack a little intensity and power at times but this wine from low yielding old vines has it all.

Tasting

Poisot's  Romanee Saint Vivant 2014 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

Give this a rest until 2028. It will then further improve and keep until 2050. 

Recommendations for serving

Depending on the ambiant temperature the Romanee Saint Vivant 2016 should be poured slightly cooler than 16 centigrade which is the ideal drinking temperature. As the wine has not been filtered it will throw a sediment with age. You can remove it from the cellar in a serving basket or even better put it upright a week before serving so that the sediment can settle at the bottom of the bottle. I advise against decanting pinot noir from burgundy but a few hours of airing of the opened bottle is often beneficial.