1996 Domaine Leroy Romanée-Saint-Vivant

Context: A Room-Filling Wine on a Night of 1996 Leroys

This bottle came from a private cellar—one of the most prolific Leroy collectors I’ve ever encountered. It was opened as part of a horizontal 1996 Leroy lineup that included Corton-Renardes and Pommard Les Vignots.

I double decanted it two hours before dinner. The moment the cork came out, the room shifted. Aromatics didn’t rise—they erupted: dried rose, spice box, crushed red fruit. It was clear before a drop hit the glass that this bottle had something to say.

I first tasted this wine a few years ago and named it my wine of the year. This time, with more context, more maturity, and side-by-side with other 1996 Leroys, it didn’t just hold up—it reconfirmed everything. As of now, it’s firmly in the running for Wine of the Year 2025.

Wine Information

• Producer: Domaine Leroy

• Wine: Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru

• Vintage: 1996

• Region: Vosne-Romanée, Côte de Nuits

• Alcohol: 12.5%

• Farming: Biodynamic

• Élevage: 100% new oak, long maturation

Vintage Overview: 1996 in Red Burgundy

1996 was a high-acid, late-harvest year. In lesser hands, it created lean, under-fruited wines. But top domaines—especially those practicing low yields and careful cluster management—produced wines of extraordinary longevity.

Leroy’s meticulous farming and strict selection in the vineyard meant their 1996s had the ripeness and phenolic depth needed to match the acidity. This vintage was never about charm—it was about structure.

Winemaker Profile: Lalou Bize-Leroy – Precision and Power

If there’s one name you need to know when learning about Burgundy, it’s Lalou Bize-Leroy. Her influence spans decades, her wines command astronomical prices, and her standards of farming and élevage helped redefine what Grand Cru Burgundy could be.

Born into the esteemed Leroy family, Lalou inherited more than just vineyard holdings—she inherited a powerful négociant legacy. Maison Leroy, established in 1868, gave her both the platform and capital to create something rare: a domaine unconcerned with volume, convention, or market trends.

After parting ways with Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in 1992, she devoted herself entirely to Domaine Leroy, applying rigorous biodynamic practices, pruning yields to microscopic levels, and insisting on hand-selection at every stage. Her methods produce wines that are as intellectually complex as they are emotionally resonant—and priced accordingly. (A single case of 1991 Leroy Musigny sold for over $460,000 at auction.)

But perhaps the most distinct hallmark of Lalou’s philosophy is her release schedule. She does not follow vintage order. She releases only when the wine is ready, according to her palate, not the market’s. That means a Grand Cru from 2005 might be released before one from 2001—or held back for over a decade. The 1996 Romanée-Saint-Vivant, for instance, was released years after its peers, having been deemed too structurally tight in its youth.

Her wines are not built for visibility. They are built for longevity.

“I don’t make wine for the market,” she once said. “I make it for the vineyard.”

Tasting Notes (Double Decanted 2 Hours Before)

Appearance: Medium ruby core, slight bricking at the rim. Bright and clear.

Nose:

• Explosive, immediate, room-filling

• Rose petal, dried strawberry, forest floor

• Layers of spice, sandalwood, and iron

Palate:

• Medium-bodied, elegant structure

• Red currant, cranberry, pomegranate

• Fine tannins, active and silky

Finish:

• Long, tapering, and savory

• Lingering notes of iron and dried cherry

• Builds in clarity over time

Overall Impression:

Let’s be honest: Leroy isn’t DRC when it comes to consistency. Bottle variation exists. Some vintages are angular, others verge on over-extracted. And Romanée-Saint-Vivant, for all its cachet, is a vineyard that’s often priced for its perfume but doesn’t always deliver the depth or grip to match.

But when it does—when the structure shows up to meet the aromatics, like in this bottle—you get something that isn’t just complete. It’s elite.

This 1996 wasn’t just firing on all cylinders—it felt like it was written in the same language as Musigny and Romanée-Conti.

There are a dozen ways this wine could’ve disappointed.

It didn’t.

It dominated.

Comparative Notes (Same Dinner)

I’ll likely return with specific deep dives on both the 1996 Corton-Renardes and 1996 Pommard Les Vignots in upcoming issues. Each had something to say—just not at the same volume.

Cellar Recommendation

• Status: At peak

• Drink Window: Now–2030

Fully mature, but no rush. Pristine bottles will last.

Market Notes

• Release Price (est.): ~$400

• Current Market Range (May 2025): $6,000–$8,000

• Auction Frequency: Rare

• Speculation: At or near peak market value. Any further upside will be slow and tied to scarcity, not momentum. Buy to drink, not to resell.

• Notable: Bottles from early 2000s Asia circulation may show age

Wolf Call: Contender for Wine of the Year

This isn’t just good. It’s precise, expressive, and intellectually complete. One of the most emotionally and structurally satisfying bottles of the year. Twice confirmed. No fade. No doubt.