2018 Alain Hudelot-Noellat Les Beaux Monts, Vosne-Romanee Premier Cru, France 1.5L

Another great success this year is the 2018 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaumonts, a brilliant cuvée in the making that bursts with aromas of cassis, cherries, smoked duck, dried flowers and rich soil tones. On the palate, it's full-bodied, rich and textural, with a multidimensional core of lavishly ripe but succulent fruit that entirely conceals the wine's structuring tannins. Readers who are unable to secure a few bottles of Hudelot-Noellat's Richebourg this year should consider consoling themselves with this Beaumonts, as the latter tastes in many respects like the former's junior sibling. (WK)