Domaine de Bellene Les Suchots Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru 2021

As a reminder, ‘Suchots’ originates from ‘souches,’ the name given to the woods before the land was prepared to host and nurture these vines. Les Suchots was first planted in 1937 and makes up approximately six percent of the 220 hectares for Vosne Romanée. The vintage was a challenging one and the resulting wines are of an ilk not seen for the past 25-30 years – yet these matters mean little when wines exist by dint of such consistently high quality. In fact in a wine like this the glory and the status are one, the parts seamless and interchangeable, the tension just an equal and opposite reaction to the grace. Suchots drinks beautifully and will do so for the next 20-25 years – this in the face of dare to pry open grip, restrained power and taut elasticity. It’s harmonious, beautiful, strict but oh so fair. It has our full respect. Drink 2025-2038. Tasted August 2023. Score – 97. (Michael Godel, winealign.com)