Vosne - Suchots		1989	J. Drouhin

11/94. Acquired from Beaune June-94 for $24 (imported for $30 net).
One of the best 1er Crus from Vosne-Romanee. Drouhin is not an owner here. Opened 15 minutes before we started dinner.
COLOR: Medium violet-red, a bit pale towards the rim.
NOSE: Quite powerful combination of (B)-smell, dark-berries and oak. More powerful and intoxicating then Drouhin's delicate Clos des Mouches we had last week. Excellent!
TASTE: I didn't like it at first (though Dorit did). The fruit was delivered, but the acidity, alcohol, and especially the tannins were all felt separately. Furthermore, the tannins were sharp and left an almost bitter aftertaste. I voiced my opinion but Dorit said she doesn't understand what I'm talking about. Somewhere between the main course and the cheese, the famous miracle of 'PN transformation in the glass' happened within no more than 5-6 minutes. The wine became totally rounded! No sharp tannins, no bitter aftertaste, just tasteful, smooth and homogeneous good (B) with different a taste, more spicy than fruity. It cannot be the food, as it happened while we were enjoying the shrimps, but complaining the wine just doesn't go with them. From now on, I'm going to let any '89 (B) breathe for at least an hour.
LENGTH: Fairly long but dry, even bitter at first.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: A good measure of alcohol, acidity and tannins. With me - none of them should show up separately, as was the case here. Maybe it is still too young. Due to its tannins, this wine will surely keep, and hopefully get its act together, for at least five more years.
OVERALL: It is definitely a young and potent wine. Not what I'd call full-bodied (like a Gevrey - Cazetiers), but certainly has more punch than the delicate Clos des Mouches. It is a complex wine with different layers of taste revealing themselves as drinking progress. Good value.
MARK: 16/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.

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Jacob "Yak" Shaya.