Flight 1 (served half-blind):
1990 Echezeaux Grand Cru, Jean Grivot - Over the top, still interesting but not my taste.
1990 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru, Comte de Voguë - Rich, robust and impressive Burgundy that improved considerably with airing and came across like a high-class Barbaresco. Not my taste (although I like high-class Barbaresco).
1990 Echezeaux Grand Cru, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti - Magical, indescribable scent of elderflowers, "griottes" cherries, wild raspberries, elderberries, beet root, green tea leaves, herbs, smoky wood of vines and pheasant meat. I spontaneously thought this had to be Burgundy's original given its completely natural taste. Nice sweet fruit on the palate, buffered by aromatic acidity and green tea like tannins. Improved with airing. Drink or hold. - My personel rating: 18.5/20.
Flight 2 (served half-blind):
1996 Echezeaux Grand Cru, Domaine A.-F. Gros - Nice but completely overshadowed by #2 and #3 in this flight.
1996 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru, Dugat Py - An absolute dream of a red Burgundy. It has all the magic virtues you can think of: sublime perfume of red and blue berries in a still reductive nose. Awesome freshness, richness, harmony and great concentration on the palate. Very very long on the finish. But still extremely young. Will this open up in the next 15 years or will it need even more time? - My personel rating: 19++/20
1996 Richebourg Grand Cru, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti - Closed down and herbaceous in the nose. Showing great authenticity and beautiful balance but lacking concentration and sweet fruit. Difficult to predict its future. But given this domaine's impressive track record I would remain confident. - My personel rating: 18+/20.
1996 La Romanée Grand Cru, Bouchard Père & Fils - Nice but completely overshadowed by #2 and #3 in this flight.
Flight 3 (served half-blind):
2005 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru, Comtes de Voguë - I liked this very much but didn't take notes on it since I was still recovering from the gigantic Dugat Py
2005 Grand-Echezeaux Grand Cru, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti - Very very nice, but still an infant, difficult to assess actually. I loved its pure fruit reminiscent of wild blue berries. 18+/20.
2005 Morey St-Denis Bussières 1er Cru, Roumier - Still very young and dominated by sweet fruit and subtle oak in the nose. Rich and creamy on the palate, considerable share of oak induced tannins. Somehow lacking freshness and complexity in my view. Maybe I'm underestimating this: 17.5+/20.
2005 Chambertin Grand Cru, Nicolas Potel - Strange notes of botrytis (?) in the nose. Completely overshadowed by the other wines in this flight.
Flight 4 (served half-blind):
1999 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru, Lignier - This is the 2nd time I've encountered this beauty and I have to admit I have totally fallen in love with it. There is everything a truly great wine needs: loads of pure and luscious fruit, balanced by awesome acidity and tannins, crazy complexity and concentration, still so young - drug-like. Words cannot explain it. I just could easily drink a magnum of it on my own
- My personel rating: 19.5+/20 1999 Echezeaux Grand Cru, Domaine A.-F. Gros - I liked this very much but didn't take notes on it since I was still recovering from the gigantic Lignier
1999 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru, Bouchard Père et Fils - I liked this very much but didn't take notes on it since I was still recovering from the gigantic Lignier
1999 Romanée-St-Vivant Grand Cru, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti - Strange reductive nose, odor of medicine. Very interesting but also difficult to assess if you don't know this wine.
Cheers,
Rainer
Sounds as if the 99s are coming out of their shell; I've been holding off mine (less stellar than these) because of reports of a lot of still tight wines.
