DRC Grands Echezeaux 1999 (1.5L)

95 VM / 18.5 JR

The 1999 Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru is a wine that I had not tasted since just after bottling when I rhapsodized upon its sumptuousness. Now, as it approaches adulthood, I am still totally enamored by this wine. Firstly, it has a deeper colour than the 1999 Echézeaux and the bouquet is unequivocally more nuanced, a mixture of red and black fruit, hints of black truffle and iron filings, all with impressive vigor and focus. The palate is medium-bodied with sublime balance, perfectly pitched acidity and a sense of harmony that is beguiling. There is symmetry to this Grands Echézeaux. Everything is in its right place and it harnesses the precocity of the vintage without allowing it to overcome the terroir. With aeration it just seems to get better and better, so do not be afraid to decant this. Tasted at the 1999 DRC dinner. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

Magnum. Very heady and sumptuous. Exuberant in terms of fruit but its needs time or decanting to show itself to maximum advantage. - Jancis Robinson