2011 Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru

Sylvain's son Sebastian has now officially taken over winemaking responsibilities but made it clear that clients of this domain should not expect any radical changes in the wines.The Cathiards started harvesting on September 4 and picked in four days flat, said Sebastian, adding that they eliminated some rotten grapes but that underripeness was not an issue.Potential alcohol levels, he said, ranged from 11.5% to 12.5%.Despite the warm ambient conditions, the estate was able to carry out its normal long cold maceration, in this case for 11 days.The fruit is always completely destemmed but not crushed.Sebastian noted that each cuvee received about six punchdowns in total, "but not at the beginning, so that some intracellular fermentation can take place in the whole berries."He described the young 2011s as "a mix of the easy drinkability of 2007 and the stronger material of 2010."The three village wines had been racked three weeks prior to my visit, while the rest of the '11s were still on their lees in their original barrels. (A Becky Wasserman selection; importers include Frederick Wildman & Sons, www.frederickwildman.com; Veritas Imports, www.veritaswine.com; and Wines Unlimited, www.winesunlimited.com)