Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose is of faintly alcoholic red cherry that overlays a spicy base. In the mouth, concentrated essence of dried fruits (shouldn’t write that – the next might be even more concentrated). The tannins are close to be completely covered by the fruit, the finish evidently more harmonious than the last tasting. Whilst this doesn’t quite have that ‘x-factor’ displayed by the Romanée-Saint-Vivant it now shows the makings of a super wine.
Richebourg
2001 Romanée-Conti Richebourg
Less deep colour than the Romanée-St-Vivant – but marginally. The nose has a more black aspect to the fruit, subtle aspects from the stems and quite high toned. Doesn’t seem to develop in the glass to the same extent as the others, but there’s still some change with the oak spice becoming more pronounced and a little more meaty. The palate has really good depth and fat, similar to the RSV, the quality and fineness of the tannin shining through – more so than the previous wines. The finish is very long, but seems more oak than wine. Has the depth of the Grands Échézeaux but shows in a more backward way – lovely smooth coating on the teeth though. A wine that’s not all joined-up yet, oak, fruit and oak but not a ‘whole’ wine just yet.