Virtually the same colour and shade as the 1996. The nose starts a little closed, delicate and precise. Wait a little and a tour de force greets you, richer, earthier, spicier, hints of blood-orange. Here is a wine of incredible intensity, it’s full-bodied, yet delivered with an amazing lightness of touch. The tannins are still quite young and there is a wonderful length. Unlike some 1990’s there’s no extra fat, this is true ‘ULTRA-WINE’. Sensational stuff.
Tasted blind. Medium colour. The nose starts a little tight with some barrel notes, then marzipan, pear-drops slowly becoming a little spicy and creamy. The palate just makes you say ‘Ooh!’. It’s amazingly complex, long, long, long and ever-changing. Gorgeous texture, simply a tour de force. The multidimensional palate was exactly as I remembered the 2002, but the acidity seemed less gushing than when last tasted, so I made a flying guess at a lower acid vintage – 1997 – I was wrong it was the 02!
Medium mahogany in colour. The nose is little vegetal and mildewy to start, slowly mature red fruit emerges plus a little pine-needle and earth, unfortunately just a wisp of TCA too. It’s not apparent on the palate, though there must be some diminution of the experience. Despite this there is a nice soft entry and a concentration that builds to a crescendo on the palate. In this company still a little subdued, certainly mildly corked.
Medium colour, again an old mahogany shade. Width on the nose, hints of resin, sweetness, doesn’t start spicy, rather broad and deep, becoming ever more intense and rounder. Wonderful effects on the inside of your mouth – fireworks certainly – quite rich, with a finish that defies reason. It’s about as mature as any wine could be in gamey yet sweet way. For me this wine is second only to 1990, though the 1959 was probably its equal.
A very low yield this year, not much more produced than Romanée-Conti. It’s a rather narrow nose compared to the others, but it’s like cliff-diving, it’s just so deep. Swirling fills some of the gaps, as does extended time in the glass – it never loses that depth though. Whilst I loved the RSV I have to say that this wine is frankly a tour-de-force in the mouth, nothing hard, great balance but every aspect is on a fantastic level – from first impression right through the mid-palate to the finish. In both 2000 and 2001 I preferred the RSV and despite my ‘bias’ in this respect I have to give the rosette to this wine in 2002 – bravo – fabulous, measured concentration…
The last 4 wines served together have virtually identical colours. Another panoramic nose, this time with hints of coffee and caramel. Swirling releases a burst of red fruits, not the ultimate in precision, but very nice. I love RSV and this wine typifies why, it’s warmer and more effusive than the GE, has gorgeous fruit that comes at you from all directions. The tannins are mouth-wrapping but dry only for an instant – like the kiss from a dusky maiden – sorry ladies? Without the ultimate intensity, but this wine still delivers an excellent finish – bravo. What can the last 3 wines do to counter that!
The nose is rounder still than La Tâche, matching the width and depth but with extra high-tones at the top. Another wine whose nose strangely reduces in amplitude when swirled. Versus both the LT and the Richebourg there are less fireworks and a less obvious ‘look at me’ personality. This wine is tighter but does still have the edge in density. There’s no extra burst, but that tiny gap between the mid-palate and the finish is filled with more ‘command’ than any other wine into a spellbinding finish. Today, and in these glasses the overall experience is a notch below both the Richebourg and the LT but (directly comparing) well above the RSV. For the future there is extra promise but I really think I will need multiple bottles of each for further research ?
A bright, medium cherry-red colour, just a shade lighter than the Echézeaux that stands by it’s side. A quite lovely nose that begins with a suggestion of torrefaction and sweet powdery fruit. Swirling releases a much more prominent and precise red-fruit note. Medium bodied, this wine shows an elegant balance between the fruit and acidity, the tannins showing a grainy edge and just a hint of dryness. There’s a serious aspect to this wine and whilst it’s shallow in the context of the DRC line-up in 2002, it’s certainly not shallow in the context of the appellation indicated on the label. I expect this wine will be a great investment, regardless of how you choose to use that word.
Bright medium, medium-plus cherry-red. The nose jumps out of the glass just a little less athletically than the 1er Cru – there’s a hint more spice and a deeper, tighter, more precise aspect to the fruit. There’s a real step-up when tasting this wine, almost reminiscent of the Montrachet and it’s ebullient acidity. Intensity and a real burst of excitement from the mid-palate onwards. Nicely handled tannins. This is a very good effort, certainly more intense than the 1er Cru but I’m not sure if it’s any longer.
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