Vosne-Romanée 2004, Robert Arnoux

This domaine is run by Pascal Lachaux who took over from his father in law Robert Arnoux in 1995. They have 12 hectares of vines with impressive grands crus holdings and a range of Vosne premiers crus. Burgundy afficionados will know that 2004 was the worst vintage in the last 20 years for pinot (excellent for chardonnay though). This Vosne 2004 starts with a biscuity, monkey nut nose. Evolves to balsa wood, chestnut. Musty, tomato stalk. "Deviant" noted one of the blind tasters. Black and red fruits on the palate, savoury, tart, green. Another unappealing 2004 but probably as good as could be achieved given the lack of sunshine. For the record: 2004 pinots are not going to improve, even at grand cru level, time to consume them!