Maison Roche de Bellene, Vosne-Romanee Vieilles Vignes, 2022

VOSNE-ROMANÉE VIEILLES VIGNES, 95 POINTS from Falstaff, and a wine that reminded us exactly why we got into this game. This is the hallowed ground of Burgundy — the commune nestled between Vougeot and Nuits-Saint-Georges that produces some of the most sought-after Pinot Noir on the planet. We moved fast on this allocation. Properly fast. ​ I first opened a bottle on a freezing February evening in a cramped little bistro off the Place Carnot in Beaune, rain hammering the windows, the room full of winemakers arguing about malolactic fermentation. ​ One sip and I was reminded why Burgundy is the true home of pinot. That velvety depth, that unmistakable Vosne-Romanée perfume of crushed roses and iron-rich earth. Falstaff nailed it at 95 points, praising the wine's precision, silky tannins and extraordinary length. Old vines — some pushing 60 years — deliver a concentration and complexity that younger plantings simply can't match. This is serious Burgundy, from a serious address. ​ Red cherry, dried rose petals, forest floor, a whisper of cinnamon and clove, with a finish that lingers like a half-remembered conversation. ​ Vosne-Romanée doesn't come around often. When it does, you move.