La Romanee Liger-Belair 2016 (750ML)

96-98 Points, Neal Martin, Wine Advocate: "The 2016 La Romanée Grand Cru has an intense bouquet with extraordinarily pure black and blueberry fruit, beautifully integrated oak, wilted violets emerging with time. It has more flamboyance than the Romanée-Conti tasted the following day, a little more luster. The palate is very well balanced, balancing on a high-wire, paradoxically intense yet one of the most backward and introspective La Romanées that I have encountered from barrel, dense and unforgiving at the moment. This will require serious bottle age, at least a decade, but I love the salinity that kicks in on the finish and the extremely long aftertaste. Outstanding." 12/17

93-96 Points, Stephen Tanzer, Vinous Media: "Bright, dark red-ruby. Knockout aromas and flavors of black raspberry, violet, cocoa powder, oak spices and subtle earth tones. At once oakier and more backward than the Echézeaux; quite large-scaled, plush and full but showing little early sweetness. This powerful wine finishes classically dry, with big, broad, almost Cabernet-like tannins and pungent notes of crushed rock and saline minerality. Should go on for at least two decades in bottle." 1/18