These are now over 100 year-old vines, the label says ‘vieilles vignes’, but the cork, (like the label on the Ponsot botting) says très vieilles vignes’. Medium, medium-plus colour. For quite a while after opening, the aromatics are rather diffuse offering almost a little blood-orange fruit, slowly it takes on a little focus with a dark, if not black cherry-fruit, still a little ‘lifted’ though intense and eventually very pretty violet floral notes – the longer it is open the more intense it gets, perhaps a little raisined fruit hiding in the depths. Right from the start, this is intense and fresh – reminds me of a great white wine where the intensity and acidity make it hard for you to keep it in your mouth. If you’re prepared to fight with that intensity you will find very little overt tannin yet a certain silkiness, and there’s an understated but considerable length. At a similar stage (September last year) the 2006 was also rather difficult to judge, maybe that’s why Laurent Ponsot waits longer to release his wines, likewise this impresses in so many areas without quite delivering a ‘whole’. I’m confident enough that the balance and intensity will bestow a long life to this wine, eventually to blossom.

High-toned, a nose of more depth than width, but given time it widens too. The entry starts a little disappointingly until you reach the mid-palate where the fruit really rolls up it sleeves – it’s super intense and tasty. The tannins are just a little grainy but there’s very fine length.

Quite deep cherry red. The nose is sweet and fat, very red cherry and super depth too. The fat is also there on the palate, not the intense concentration of the 1999, but intense all the same – but that’s the vintage. This is super, and certainly Grand Cru quality, well balanced and for much earlier drinking than the 1999 – but no rush.

Deeply coloured cherry red, right to the rim. The nose has good depth with a laser-like focus of black cherry running through the middle, dried fruits also in evidence. Superb intensity on the palate – this is special. The fruit just keeps on going through the achingly long finish. Perfect acidity and tannins that you hardly notice – buy every bottle that you can find!