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Some bricking at the rim. There is evident if not dominant sous-bois present on the spicy, earthy and slightly animale-suffused nose. The supple, delicious and quite round middle weight flavors possess a refined mouth feel before terminating in a sappy and lingering finish where a touch of backend warmth sufaces. While the Rousseau style is an elegant one I would describe this as unusually elegant for both the vintage and for what is typical for the Rousseau Clos de la Roche. In sum, this is a lovely if not truly sensational effort that is drinking perfectly now.Burghound | 91 BH

The 1990 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St.-Jacques 1er Cru is magnificent. It displays stunning definition on the nose; there’s no messing about as it ladles out captivating raspberry, wild strawberry and light oyster shell notes. Though opulent and reflective of the growing season, the bouquet oozes class. The palate has a sorbet-like freshness and so much vitality after 31 years, building toward a perfectly symmetrical finish featuring vivacious morello cherries and raspberry coulis and hints of bay leaf. This is simply Rousseau in full flight. How do you follow that pair?Vinous Media | 97 VMThis was a wine that I was quite curious to try because while I had the good fortune to have enjoyed it several times in the 1990s, it had not come my way since 2001. I’m happy to report that it did not disappoint with its ripe yet airy aromas of sous-bois, spice, earth, game and beautifully well-layered secondary fruit. There is fine richness as well as very good power to the delicious and attractively textured medium-bodied flavors that exhibit equally good layering on the impressively persistent finale. This is not a particularly elegant vintage for the Rousseau CSJ and there remains enough tannin to notice on the slightly warm finish but overall, I found this to have aged out extremely well.Burghound | 93 BHThe outstanding Gevrey-Chambertin-Clos St.-Jacques possesses a saturated deep ruby color, and an explosive nose of black fruits, spicy new oak, flowers, and truffles. In the mouth, the wine is dense, seductive, and ripe, with low acidity, glycerin, and alcohol in the finish, making it a voluptuous, opulent mouthful of chewy Pinot Noir. Drink it over the next decade.Robert Parker | 90 RPA supple 1990, with a firm core of solid tannins and enough fruit to compensate for the tannic backbone. A well-integrated wine, with lots of raspberry, mushroom and wet earth flavors. Best after 1996.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

It has been some years since the last time I cracked a bottle and at 22 years of age, it would be fair to say that this has reached its apogee with a really lovely and fully mature nose redolent of fully mature secondary aromas that do not yet evidence any notes of sous-bois. There is excellent richness to the delicious, sappy and still solidly well-concentrated flavors that possess excellent depth and fine length. This is not an especially refined effort but one that is most satisfying and while there is no further upside development to be had, neither is there any rush to drink up. In a word, lovely.Burghound | 91 BHA firm wine that offers generous, clear black cherry, raspberry and spice aromas and flavors. Solid, with pure, focused flavors balanced by enough acidity and tannin. Drinkable now to 1998. 375 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Huge, dense and thick with extremely ripe but not roasted fruit and flavors that still manage to remain graceful and reasonably elegant despite what can only be described as impressive concentration. The firm tannins have now almost completely been resolved with sweet and ripe flavors that are still vibrant if no longer youthful and for my taste I would suggest that this has arrived at its apogee though it should hold here for up to two more decades. Multiple, and consistent, notes.Burghound | 93 BHThe 1991 Gevrey-Chambertin-Les Combottes is an outstanding premier cru. This magnificent vineyard, sandwiched between such revered grand crus as Clos de la Roche and Latricieres-Chambertin, reaches heights in Leroy’s cellars that do not exist elsewhere. It offers a decadent nose of smoked duck, grilled meats, black fruits, spices, and truffle-like smells. Superb black-cherry fruit flavors are loaded with glycerin and extract. This unctuously-textured, hedonistic wine is remarkably long, sweet, and velvety. Tasting more like an unevolved barrel sample than a finished wine, it should be drunk between 1996-2012.Robert Parker | 92 RP

(Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche Grand Cru Red) The nose evidences a slight floral quality, and a fascinating mix of earth, leather, tea and spice notes plus an interesting green bark component. The slightly austere, tannic, wonderfully rich flavors are dense, in fact extremely dense with excellent depth and terrific complexity and a finish that seems to go on forever. Though there are now hints of secondary aromas, this remains very young, structured and remarkably intense. When you get the right bottle, the ’93 can be a real stunner. Note: the inconsistency of this wine continues unabated as a bottle opened at the Domaine recently was almost aggressively vegetal and awkward. In short, when it’s good it’s very good but I’ve now had too many disappointing bottles not to be wary. (Drink starting 2018)Burghound | 95 BHLight red. Beautiful nose, very youthful and pure. A vegetal note emerges with air. Packed with dense fruit and marked by a very firm structure of both acidity and dense tannins. The fruit is locked up right now in this massive, powerful La Tâche. Rather than open in the glass, this appears to close up, but have faith; this will be great.--La Tâche non-blind vertical. Best from 2010 through 2030. — BSWine Spectator | 95 WS

(Chambertin “Clos de Bèze”- Domaine Armand Rousseau) The 1995 Clos de Bèze from Charles Rousseau is an excellent bottle in the making that is almost ready for primetime drinking, but quite there yet. The superb nose wafts from the glass in a complex blend of cherries, blood orange, grilled meats, sous bois, coffee, a bit of vanillin oak and a topnote of exotic spice tones. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and very refined in profile, with a fine core of fruit, suave tannins and lovely length and grip on the nearly open, tangy and soil-driven finish. It is very easy to drink this wine today, but I would try to keep my hands off of it for another three or four years and let its structural elements fade away just a bit more. A superb 1995! (Drink between 2018-2050)John Gilman | 95 JGDark ruby-colored, the killer Chambertin Clos de Beze floored me with its nose of roses, violets, black cherries and Asian spices. Its sublimely elegant palate impression is intense, complex, chewy, austere, minerally, stony, full-bodied and long. It possesses considerable tannin behind the rich fruit so it should be at its best between 2006 and 2016. This note is the result of tastings I did in Burgundy between January 7 and January 29. The wine was tasted from cask, not bottle. Pinot Noir, a fragile varietal, reacts poorly to fining, filtration, and careless bottling techniques, I recommend caution when considering buying a red burgundy based on cask samples. I called it as I tasted it, and hope the bottled wine reflects the quality of the samples I was provided.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-94 RP(Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru Red) Superbly spice aromas just explode from the glass leads to wonderfully concentrated flavors of impressive depth and simply incredible balance for such a big, structured, powerful wine. The length though is what separates this wine from the "merely" great and it just goes on and on. The material here is so good that it would not surprise me if this eventually merits an even higher score as this is a most impressive effort and it has the rare gift of presence, something very few wines have even at the highest levels. In sum, this is killer juice.Burghound | 94 BHDeep red-ruby color. Flamboyant, expressive aromas of kirsch, black raspberry, toffee, mint and dried flowers. Black cherry and black raspberry fruit flavors show an almost liqueur-like sweetness. Seamless texture like liquid velvet. Fat but very intensely flavored; note of licorice gives the wine even more lift. Superb expanding aftertaste, with rich, thoroughly ripe tannins. Complete Burgundy.Vinous Media | 93 VM

A sculpted Champagne, with a steely backbone of acidity swathed in a fine and silky texture, offering rich flavors of baked apple and plum fruit, almond financier, crème de cassis, honey and toasted coconut. Long and mouthwatering, and still very, very young. Drink now through 2090. 1,500 cases made, 200 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 97 WSCompared to the 2000, the 1996 Champagne Femme offers a touch more vibrancy and purity in a similarly rich, layered, complex style. Stone fruits, beautiful minerality, hints of charcoal, as well as a touch of brioche and nuttiness, all flow to a textured, balanced, beautifully long and layered Champagne that’s drinking brilliantly today.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JD(Duval-Leroy Femme de Champagne Brut) The 1996 Duval-Leroy Femme de Champagne is a stunning wine that is now reaching its apogee of peak drinkability and is wide open and absolutely superb on both the nose and palate. The deep, complex and toasty bouquet offers up a classy mélange of apple, tangerine, pain grillé, a beautifully complex base of soil and a topnote of orange peel. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and toasty, with a superb core of pure fruit, crisp acids, utterly refined mousse, laser-like focus and superb length and grip on the wide open, vibrant and very classy finish. This is just a stunning bottle of bubbly. (Drink between 2012-2035)John Gilman | 95 JGDeep yellow in color the 1996 Femme de Champagne offers a complex, superbly clear, multilayered and fresh bouquet of cooked and roasted apples, citrus flavors, brioche, apricots, a touch of caramel and a hint of farmyard smell. Medium-bodied but full-flavored, clear and complex on the palate this is a stimulatingly and persistently pure, fresh and minerally flavored Champagne with citrus flavors in the aftertaste. Impressively vital and young this delicate but expressive Champagne is lovely to drink today but can be stored for another decade.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe estate’s 1996 Brut Femme de Champagne is really quite pretty in the way it balances some of the more mature notes from extended lees aging with the freshness of the vintage. To be sure, this isn’t a blockbuster 1996, but the Femme de Champagne offers plenty of class and elegance in an approachable, delicate style for the vintage. The rich, radiant fruit flows effortlessly through to the long, satisfying finish. This is a terrific effort from Duval-Leroy. This is Lot L9250N. Disgorged September 7th, 2009.Antonio Galloni | 91 AG

(Richebourg- Domaine Méo-Camuzet) I have long been a fan of Jean-Nicolas Méo’s 1996 Richebourg and the wine acquitted itself very nicely at our tasting. The bouquet is deep, pure and still youthful, but also stunning in its potential, as it wafts from the glass in a complex array of black plums, red and black cherries, raw cocoa, Vosne spices, a complex base of soil, duck and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and quite refined in profile, with a lovely core, great soil signature, ripe, suave tannins, tangy acids and beautiful balance on the long and moderately tannic finish. Great juice in the making- just add more time. (Drink between 2025-2075)John Gilman | 96 JGThis wine is medium-to-dark ruby-colored and displays a flattering nose of deeply intensely red and black fruits, and hints of mint-laced chocolate. Its magnificent personality has gorgeous definition, a full body, and spectacularly rich and fat cherry fruit. This highly concentrated, profound, harmonious, exceedingly classy, and superbly-balanced wine has a formidably long and supple finish that reveals loads of oak-imbued, juicy, and popping (the French would say croquant) red and black fruits. Wow! Drink this gem between 2004 and 2012.The village appellation offerings from Vosne and Nuits have the lowest pHs (3.35) of Meo’s wines (the rest are between 3.45 and 3.5).Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPRipe and balanced, offering wet earth, mineral, smoke and red berry complexity, this is superbly intense on the finish, with a round, velvety mouthfeel. Grows on you as it kicks into high gear, rockets to a beautiful finish. This grand cru from Jean-Nicolas Méo tastes sweeter and more hedonistic than his minerally Clos de Vougeot, but both get the same classic rating. Best after 2007.Wine Spectator | 95 WSLess deeply colored than some of Meo’s other ’96s. Wonderfully complex, perfumed aromas of cassis and bitter chocolate. The sweetest of all these ’96s, with superb violet and dark berry inner-mouth perfume. Lovely balance. Finishes firmly tannic and very long. Seems less tough than the Cros Parantoux and even more charming than the Brulees. Lovely integration of oak.Vinous Media | 93+ VM(Domaine Méo-Camuzet ’ Richebourg Richebourg Grand Cru Red) There is an interesting menthol character to the still agreeably fresh and bright aromas of red and blue pinot fruit that display only the barest traces of secondary development along with wet stone, spice, earth and leather hints. The palate impression is really quite supple yet the hallmark tension and precision typical of the ’96 vintage is very much present and not surprisingly the mineral character is much stronger here than it is in the ’97. The cool, clean and still moderately firm finish is especially intense and persistent with impeccable balance. Overall, this offers good power without undue weight in a refined and elegant style. In terms of maturity, while this is approaching its majority and could certainly be enjoyed now I would advise a few more years of patience. Consistent notes. (Drink starting 2016)Burghound | 93 BH

Bright red-ruby. Brilliant aromas of strawberry, raspberry, cherry and bitter chocolate. Wonderfully intense, sharply delineated flavors of red berries, spices and mint; a wine of great density and verve, not to mention powerful structure for long life. A rare combination of silky texture and lightness of touch. Fabulous back end features utterly suave tannins and resounding, vibrant fruit.Vinous Media | 95 VM(Domaine Comte de Vogüé Musigny - Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru Red) (with thanks to Dr. Reed Day). This is just now beginning to display hints of secondary development though the essential thrust of the nose remains ripe aromas of red and black pinot fruit that is nuanced with hints of violets and anise plus a fascinating array of spices. This remains mildly austere on the palate though much less so than it was in its true youth with plenty of soil and mineral-inflected nuances to the impressively dense and powerful yet classy flavors that deliver simply huge length. As classic Musigny always is, this delivers an incredible combination of power and grace. While this can certainly be approached now with pleasure, for my taste I would still be inclined to cellar this for another 5 to 8 years first. Multiple notes. (Drink starting 2016).Burghound | 94 BHTasted blind, I was able to identify the producer from the tannic structure of the 1998 Musigny Vieilles Vignes. The nose is very attractive: well-defined with boysenberry and raspberry preserves that segue into scorched earth and light seaweed scents. The palate is not quite as endearing, with firm, almost obdurate tannins that lend this Musigny a foursquare personality. It possesses the weight and sinew to age for another decade, yet at the same time it is difficult to see the return for one's patience. If only the palate had the charm of the nose.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 90 RP-NM

(Méo-Camuzet Echézeaux Grand Cru Red) Gorgeously scented and quite forward yet there is plenty of intensity, richness and better than average power for Echézeaux. Elegant and long is not quite as complex as the Clos de Vougeot.Burghound | 89-91 BHThe medium to dark ruby-colored 1999 Echezeaux has demure, sweet blackberry aromas. Medium to full-bodied, broad, and expansive, it is packed with red and black cherries as well as blackberries. Its long finish possesses loads of soft, well-ripened tannins. Projected maturity: 2003-2011.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90-91 RPBright medium ruby. Spicy, tangy aromas of red- and blackcurrant, espresso and mint. Rich entry, then rather politely styled and reticent in the middle; less fleshy and deep than the Clos Vougeot. Here the normally firm acids from this vineyard combine with the wine somewhat obtrusive oak tannins to give the finish a slight leanness.Vinous Media | 88-90 VM

This is my third bottle of 1999 Romanée-Conti Grand Cru and it repeats the breathtaking performance of the previous two. That said, it demands more aeration than I was expecting, backward and more introspective for the first 60 minutes until that crystalline, mineral-driven, profound bouquet reveals itself. The aromatics just shimmer. The palate is perfectly balanced as before, mind-boggling in terms of precision and grace, with laser-like intensity and a tension that electrifies the senses. More red fruit than black, hints of orange peel and oyster shell, it fans out languorously on the eternally long finish. Heaven in a glass! Picked on September 20 and cropped at 32hl/ha. 6,917 bottles produced. Tasted at the Romanée-Conti dinner at the Connaught Hotel.Vinous Media | 100 VMThe medium to dark ruby-colored 1999 Romanee-Conti is mind-boggling. It has a hugely expressive nose of super-ripe black cherries, candied plums, and violets. Full-bodied and possessing a magnificent breadth of sweet, penetrating fruits, this is an unbelievably complex wine. It coats the palate with its velvety sweet cherries, jammy blackberries, and fruit-soaked tannin. Perfectly balanced and seamless, this gem has a remarkably long finish. This is a wine of exemplary precision, delineation, and power with undescribable class and refinement. Projected maturity: 2006-2020.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95-99 RP(Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti Grand Cru Red) Vibrant, pure, spicy, distinctly floral and unusually high-toned for the vintage with big, powerful and concentrated almost to the point of painful intensity with its super ripe, palate staining flavors yet this remains regal, almost aloof and quite reserved on the hugely long finish. The focus in unbelievable and while it’s hard to speak of subtle power, one can sense the vibrancy and depths of reserve that are still only hinted at now even eight years after the vintage. As seductive as the nose is and as awe-inspiring as the flavors are, the finish lasts literally for minutes, indeed I could still taste it the next day and I’ve noticed that this happens every time I am fortunate to have the ’99. And, difficult as it is to believe, I’m beginning to believe that my score is conservative. (Drink starting 2019)Burghound | 99 BH

(Etienne Grivot told me that this was a high-VA vintage for him; my sampled had been carafed for two hours): Good full red. Empyreumatic and balsamic aromas of plum, chocolate and graphite reminded me of a mature Pomerol on first sniff. A bit monolithic on the attack, then fine-grained but still tight in the middle palate--even a bit unyielding--compared to recent vintages of this bottling. Conveys a sexy iodiney minerality and good sweetness, as well as noteworthy energy, but still a bit more evolved than I would have thought. The tannins are slightly peppery and dusty compared to today's wines but give the wine a solid structural underpinning. Said Etienne Grivot: "1999 was at the very beginning of my modern period," adding that he changed his technique a bit in 2000 in search of wines that were a little less rigorous.Vinous Media | 91 VMBeautiful. Dark in color, refined in the mineral aromas. A full-bodied Pinot that is reserved and classy, with complex red berries, menthol, wet earth complexity. Tannins are well-integrated. Best from 2003 through 2010. 830 cases made, 120 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 91 WS(Domaine Jean Grivot Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru Red) Interesting contrast of elegance and austerity with remarkably fine, intense, earthy fruit and structured flavors that offer excellent sève and solid structure. This will need time as it's presently closed and tight yet everything is here to permit it to age for at least a decade or more. (Drink between 2008-2015)Burghound | 90 BH

This was a magical bottle of the 1999 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru Cuvée Vieilles Vignes, a wine that’s just beginning to hit its stride as it approaches its 20th birthday, unfurling in the glass with aromas of red berries, cassis, dark chocolate, cinnamon, dried rose petals and orange rind. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, deep and immensely concentrated, with a broad attack, lovely acids and a formidable reserve of creamy old-vine fruit, structured around a chalky chassis of tannin that evokes the great old Burgundies of yesteryear. Concluding with a long and expansive finish, this is still a young wine, and another two decades of aging won’t be a problem. But it’s now clear that this ranks as one of Ponsot’s greatest recent hits—and one of the high points of this reputed vintage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPA spicy, ripe and relatively expressive nose features superbly complex aromas that combine maturing red, black and dark berry fruit elements along with plenty of pungent earth character. There is terrific intensity to the seductively sappy and concentrated broad-shouldered but well-detailed flavors that offer knock out power. This really does a slow build from the attack all the way to the explosive finish that lingers for minutes. As impressive as the wine is however, the structure has once again begun to assert itself and thus it will likely need another 5 to 8 years of cellar time to be at its best. Tasted thrice recently with similar results though, somewhat worryingly, a fourth bottle displayed enough brett to notice.Burghound | 96 BHGood dark red. An initial touch of reduction to the aromas of raspberry, minerals, mocha and musky woodsmoke. Wonderfully sweet and lively on the palate; an outstanding expression of soil, with plush, fine-grained flavors of red berries, smoke, minerals and exotic Asian spices conveying an impression of finesse that’s striking for such a rich, powerful wine. The very long, mounting finish displays balsamic notes of cedar and sandalwood and benefits from strong, perfectly integrated tannins. New winemaker Alexandre Abel considers this wine too young to drink but would double-decant it if you do (my bottle had simply been uncorked two hours before I tasted it).Vinous Media | 96 VM(Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes- Ponsot) I should note that there is a provisional aspect to my enthusiasm for this wine, as this note dates back to the first couple of 1999 in the bottle tastings in late 2001 and early 2002. If this wines remains as strong as it initially appeared upon its arrival here, then the Clos de la Roche will be the first Clos de la Roche to issue forth from the domaine since the 1991. The nose is deep, packed with fruit and very primary, with layers of plum, cherry, vinesmoke, game, loads of soil tones, mustard seed, dark chocolate, and other herbs soaring from the glass. On the palate the wine is big, full and opulent, with great underlying structure, plenty of ripe tannins buried in fruit, and superb focus that the powerful 1997 never displayed this early in its youth. For those that have been hankering for another monument of Ponsot Clos de la Roche, the 1999 may well be the vintage. I only hope that it is able to maintain the freshness that it is currently showing. 2012-2050. 95 (if it stays the course and does not start to taste prematurely senile as the 1998 is now doing). (Drink between 2012-2050)John Gilman | 95 JG

Enormous fruit dominates this wine. Red fruits of every type, from raspberries to red currants mingle in a dense fruit salad. But underneath this mouthfilling fruit is a big, solid structure that promises great aging ability. Keep this wine for 10 years before opening, perhaps even keeping some more bottles for at least 20.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEGood full, bright red. Sappy aromas of briary black fruits, herbs, baking spices, smoke and menthol. Rich and sweet but rather backward for 2000; offers more complex inner-mouth aromas than the two Chambolle bottlings. The texture is lush but this is still holding plenty in reserve. Finishes with firm but fine tannins and very good length.Vinous Media | 91+ VM(Domaine Comte de Vogüé Bonnes Mares Grand Cru Red) More blueberry fruit and violet aromas with big, robust, very powerful, linear flavors with chewy tannins and outstanding persistence. This stains the palate and coats the mouth and offers superb fruit/acid balance. As young Bonnes Mares goes, this is quite seductive and finishes with velvet wrapped tannins and while it can't quite match the the '01 or '02 for sheer style and grace, it's closer than one would expect based on the relative merits of the vintages involved. Consistent notes. (Drink starting 2010)Burghound | 91 BHAromatically, the 2000 Bonnes Mares bursts with spices and blackberries. Notes of cedar are intermingled with spiced coffee cake, chocolate-covered cherries, and blackberries in its generous, delectable personality. This well-balanced and structured wine improved with air during our tasting. Projected maturity: now-2012.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RP

(Domaine Armand Rousseau, Gevrey-Chambertin, 1er Cru Clos-St-Jacques, Burgundy, France, Red) Medium-full colour. Rich, concentrated, high quality nose with a touch of new oak. Fullish body. Profound. Youthful. Excellent grip. Very impressive finish. Splendid quality as usual. Will still improve. (Drink between 2003-2025)Decanter | 96 DEC(Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin "Clos St. Jacques" 1er Cru Red) Knockout aromas of wonderfully intense black and red cherry fruit loaded with cassis and a touch of new oak introduce medium-bodied, sweet, harmonious, very expressive and long flavors all underpinned by racy minerality and firm structure. The tannins are prominent but ripe and the density of extract is impressive and this both coats and stains the palate. As it always does, this delivers finesse with real mid-palate punch with near perfect grace. For my taste, I would hold this for another 1 to 3 years but it would be no vinous crime to be drinking this now. Note to be sure to serve this cool as the alcohol becomes noticeable if it becomes a bit too warm. (Drink starting 2013)Burghound | 93 BHRousseau’s 2001 Grevey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint-Jacques is a very pretty wine, bursting from the glass with a projected bouquet of rose petal, cassis, red cherry, cedary new oak and sweet forest floor. On the palate, the wine is youthful but expressive, with a sweet, almost candied core of succulent fruit, framed by supple tannins. At first glance, this seems to epitomize Rousseau’s elegant style, but by the time the bottle was finished, the wine had begun to seem just a touch facile and diffuse, missing the intensity and concentration that this bottling can attain.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPGood medium red. Strawberry, coffee, rose petal and smoky oak on the nose. Sweet, ripe and plump, with aromatic flavors of plum and spicy oak. Here the nearly 100% new oak percentage (the foregoing wines get little or no new oak) adds considerable sex appeal and nicely frames the wine’s rather delicate fruit. Finishes long, subtle and aromatic, with an impression of finer tannins.Vinous Media | 90 VM

The 2001 De Vogüé Bonnes Mares exhibited uncommon depth and richness in the luxuriousness of its vibrant fruit, with a personality that was delicate yet powerful. Still very much an infant, it was a privilege to catch this gorgeous wine in its youth.Antonio Galloni | 94 AG(Domaine Comte de Vogüé Bonnes Mares Grand Cru Red) (opened from personal storage). This has continued its upward development while still maintaining its superb aromatic density with still relatively primary aromas of blueberries, earth and animale notes. There is good power and concentation to the intense yet refined flavors that are underpinned by a firm but ripe tannic spine on the wonderfully long finish. This is developing beautifully and while there are still a few more years of unrealized upside potential in store, this is not so far away that it would be a vinous crime to open a bottle now. In a word, gorgeous. (Drink starting 2013)Burghound | 93 BHAromatic definition, dark fruits and leathery, earthy accents; the palate composed, focused and long. Approaching drinking window, still with many years ahead. From 2016.James Suckling | 92 JSBlackberries and a myriad of spices are found in the nose of the light to medium-bodied 2001 Bonnes Mares. Satin-textured and broad shouldered on the attack, this wine reveals outstanding depth to its blackberry and blueberry-flavored character. Its dark fruit-laden finish displays a firm, woody tannin-laced characteristic. Drink it over the next 7 years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 89-90 RP

Despite the relatively close proximity of Les Chaumes and Les Boudots, it’s enough of a difference to consistently confer obvious superiority to this wine. The step up in class and breed is immediately evident and Les Boudots is often mistaken blind for a top Vosne 1er. Elegant, pure and very fine spicy black fruit followed by stylish, refined yet full-bodied flavors and impressive length. Despite the artificial concentration that was used on the Chaumes, this comes across as decidedly more concentrated.Burghound | 89-92 BHRed-ruby, a bit less deep than the Chaumes. Expressive, nuanced, wild aromas of redcurrant, leather, iron and smoke. Sweet, sappy and fat with fruit in the middle, then tight, even a bit severe, on the back end, finishing with some tough tannins. In a way, this is more typical of the vintage than the Chaumes, and in need of three to five years of aging.Vinous Media | 91+ VM

The intense scents of the 2002 Bonnes Mares burst from the glass, exhibiting dark jammy fruits, spices, and blood oranges. Bold, powerful, and crammed with black cherries, allspice, and raspberries, it reveals copious quantities of exquisitely ripened tannin in its finish. This noble, muscular, extravagant wine should be drunk between 2007 and 2017.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RP(Domaine Comte de Vogüé Bonnes Mares Grand Cru Red) Classic ruby color. A very expressive nose of pungent lavender, violet and a mix of jammy red and black fruit cut with subtle earth notes. As it should be, this is a big, muscular, robust and powerful wine that is impressively concentrated and hugely long with a mouth coating and chewy finish. This is a very ripe wine and finishes with a touch of warmth. Most impressive and slightly better than I originally envisioned. Note that the firm structure will require plenty of patience. (Drink starting 2014)Burghound | 93 BHBright medium red. Explosive aromas of cherry and iron lifted by high-toned exotic spices. Hugely rich and fleshy, plush and full, with the powerful spice character following through on the palate. Finishes with terrific breadth and substantial dusty tannins. Millet finds the 2002s less subtle than the 2014s. The wines are a bit sweeter as well as higher in alcohol, he added. I should note that this sample came from a 375-milliliter bottle, so the same wine in a 750 almost certainly has a lot more life ahead of it.Vinous Media | 93 VM

The 2002 Richebourg Grand Cru must surely be Lalou Bize-Leroy’s finest wine of the vintage. It has more class than the 2002 Latricières-Chambertin--pure wild strawberry and black truffle on the nose that gathers momentum with each ticking hand of the clock as if to say: "You want more?" Of course you do. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannin. There is great depth here as one expects from a Richebourg, not a powerful grand cru because this vintage was all about the nuance and delicacy, but it fans out wondrously on the finish with crushed strawberry and hints of cured meats. Very long, very elegant, very Leroy. This is an absolute treat. Tasted January 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 97 RP-NMDark red. Cooler, more perfumed aromas of red cherry, minerals and red licorice. Wonderfully urgent, minerally wine with compelling vibrancy and delineation of flavor. Finishes with terrific power and thrust and explosive length. This is a more vertical wine, while the Romanee-Saint-Vivant is more horizontal. Here, too, Lalou Bize prefers the 2002 to the ’99, which she described as a more brutal style.Vinous Media | 96+ VM(Domaine Leroy Richebourg Grand Cru Red) As it usually is, this is bigger, richer and more powerful than the RSV with a spicy and earthy black fruit nose and this too is beautifully expressive yet reserved. The powerful, even robust, muscular and intense flavors are thick and oozing with extract of pinot that completely buffers the considerable tannins on the beautifully long finish. Still very backward, it will require time to completely come into its own but it should be worth the wait! (Drink between 2020-2050)Burghound | 96 BH

(Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles-Vignes Grand Cru Red) There is even more aromatic complexity with similar and brilliant red and black fruit notes though not the spice with superbly sappy, concentrated and very pure flavors that display flat out incredible length and impeccable balance. This will join the ranks of some of the best vintages of Ponsot’s Clos de la Roche, which is saying something. It is however built for the very patient. (Drink starting 2017)Burghound | 93 BHPonsot’s 2002 Clos de la Roche was exotic and intriguing, but also rough around the edges.Antonio Galloni | 91 AG

(Domaine Rousseau Chambertin “Clos de Bèze”) Like the Clos St. Jacques, the 2005 Clos de Bèze offers up amazing youthful complexity, but in this case that same complexity is tied to a wine that is emphatically young and almost primary. I can only imagine how complex this wine will become as it has a chance to grow with bottle age. The celestial bouquet erupts from the glass in a blaze of black cherries, plums, candied strawberries, cocoa, citrus peel, exotic spices, a kaleidoscope of minerality, vanillin oak and a rose garden in the upper register. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and utterly complete, with a bottomless core, stunning intensity of flavor without undue weight, zesty acidity, fine-grained tannins, and an exquisitely long, complex and palate-staining finish. Like bottled spring in Paris. (Drink between 2018-2075)John Gilman | 98 JG(Domaine Armand Rousseau Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru Red) A positively kaleidoscopic nose features a wonderful panoply of spice and fruit aromas that offer something new and different with every sniff. The rich, full and utterly classic flavors are a study of the harmonious liaison of refinement and power that culminate in an explosive and driving finish that is even longer than that of the Clos St. Jacques yet it sacrifices nothing in terms of balance, harmony or transparency. A strikingly good wine packed with upside potential. While pronouncements of this sort are always fraught, it’s possible that the 2005 Bèze could one day rival the best Rousseau Bèze ever (in my view), which is the legendary 1962. Time will tell but it at least has a shot. (Drink starting 2020)Burghound | 98 BHThe 2005 Chambertin Clos de Beze offers alluring aromas of licorice, mint, vanilla, plum paste, cherry preserves and rose petals, and seduces the palate with silky, incredibly refined texture and several octaves of fruit, herbal, floral and mineral notes, leading to a reverberative finish in which fruit pit and stony, chalky elements lend a sense of dark, weighty authority and an umami-like, meaty savor promotes uncontrollable salivation. No layering or mixing of metaphors can hope to do justice to the layering and concatenation of flavors on display.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96-98 RP(Domaine Armand Rousseau, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru, Burgundy, France, Red) Medium-full colour. Somewhat unforthcoming at first on the nose. But high quality sings out. Medium-full body. Rich, generous and succulent on the palate. Long, complex and classy. Very good intensity. Very fine plus. (Drink starting 2018)Decanter | 96 DECGood full red. Briary raspberry, dark cherry and menthol on the nose, along with a medicinal reserve. Powerful and thick on entry, then quite closed, even medicinal, in the middle, without the exotic character that this cuvee often shows in the early going. Quite closed today but this utterly seamless, superrich wine boasts superb structure and grip. Wonderfully long and pure on the back end, with strong but perfectly integrated acidity. Give this impeccably balanced wine 12 years.Vinous Media | 95+ VM

The 2005 Richebourg makes a strong argument that the answer to that question might be a resounding ‘yes!’ Huge beams of tannin are present but nearly covered by the sheer intensity the fruit. Black cherry, plum, mint, lavender and graphite give the 2005 much of its gravitas. Tonight, the 2005 is insanely beautiful and absolutely stellar, and I say that never having truly fallen for the domaine’s Richebourg. The 2005, though, well, it simply will not be denied.Antonio Galloni | 98+ AGThe aromas are seductive, exuding raspberry, red currant, cherry and spice notes. More muscular and powerful on the palate, full of dense tannins, this is concentrated, ripe and long. Needs time for the two parts of the wine to harmonize.--Non-blind 2005 DRC tasting (February 2008). Best from 2016 through 2040.Wine Spectator | 97 WS(Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg Richebourg Red) Initially this was quite firmly reduced though after 15 minutes or so of aeration, vigorous swirling coaxes ripe but fresh and superbly elegant and pure aromas that are wonderfully broad and include red, black, blue and violet aromas as well as seemingly a full cupboard of Asian spices. The robust and extremely rich, full-bodied and naturally sweet flavors that are quite floral in the mouth culminate in a detailed and hugely long finish where the tannic spine is firm but not hard or unduly rigid. In the same fashion as many of the top 2005s today, this is years away from being ready for prime time and it’s definitely a wine to leave buried in the back of your cellar but when this is finally ready it’s going to be brilliant. (Drink starting 2030)Burghound | 97 BHThe 2005 Richebourg suggests lightly cooked cherry, lilies, and vanilla-chocolate pot de creme, coming onto the palate with a gentle wave of creamy fruit, almost shockingly open-knit and youthfully generous. Low-toned richness of salted beef broth and a hint of wet stone add hints of gravitas, but despite ample (refined) tannins, there is nothing to restrain a veritable gushing of ripe, juicy, sweet finishing fruit. This might close up for a time, but these early indications suggest one ought to revisit it in 3-5 years and expect it to offer much earlier enjoyment than the Grands-Echezeaux or Romanee-St.-Vivant.Once the grapes in these fabled vineyards had reached a potential alcohol of 13%, reports Aubert de Villaine, he was ready to pick, because conditions had seldom been so conducive to perfect ripeness (including that of the stems). It was all done in a week, commencing with La Tache and Romanee Conti, and finishing on September 23 with Romanee-St.-Vivant (and Montrachet, on which I shall report at a future date). De Villaine intended to bottle in March or April by gravity in six-barrel lots, as has become general practice here over the past decade.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-95 RP(Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg) The 2005 Richebourg is a big, blockbuster of a wine, with a firm and closed personality that is just loaded with layers of fruit. Today this broad-shouldered wine is youthfully four-square and not particularly pleased at being disturbed, but offers excellent potential for down the road. The bouquet is a primary blend of black cherries, plums, cocoa, duck, a serious base of soil and plenty of vanillin oak showing presently. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and closed, with a rock solid core of fruit, fine focus, solid acids, and plenty of firm tannins on the long, young and palate-staining finish. This will be a reference point DRC Richebourg down the road, but it will demand some patience. (Drink between 2020-2060)John Gilman | 94 JG

Pale yellow. Ineffable nose combines fresh pineapple, grapefruit, crushed stone and menthol. Pure, taut, extremely backward wine that’s like sucking on a mouthful of rocks today. Like a richer and even more austere version of the Montee de Tonnerre. With no obvious sweetness showing today, this is revealing more than it’s showing. Finishes very long and very dry, with a purity of mineral expression that’s rare for this vintage. Less likable today than the Valmur but even denser. This will require at least a decade of cellaring.Vinous Media | 95+ VM(Domaine François Raveneau Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru White) An incredibly pure but also incredibly backward ultra high-toned ripe floral and white pear and peach nose nuanced by subtle spice and brioche notes complements perfectly the round, intense, delineated and stony flavors that are like drinking liquefied rock, all wrapped in a textured, palate staining, austere and almost painfully intense and chewy finish. This is a bit more reserved at present than the Valmur, which is interesting because normally it’s the other way around. Either way, this has flat out great potential. (Drink starting 2013)Burghound | 95 BH(Domaine Raveneau Chablis “Clos”) At times, the Clos can be rather forbidding out of the blocks chez Raveneau, but the 2005 is utterly refined and polished. That said, it is also the most closed wine in the cellar today, and offers stunning potential to those with the patience to not open a bottle for a decade. The nose is deep and soil-driven, as it offers up notes of wet stones, flint, crystalline minerals, apples, sweet grapefruit, a streak of herbaceousness not unlike Clos des Mouches Blanc and a whisper somewhere of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and racy, with a very primary panoply of fruit coupled to amazingly complex and persistent minerality, bright acids, a rock solid core, and a very, very long, complex and tensile finish. Magnificent juice in the making. (Drink between 2017-2040)John Gilman | 95 JG