I have now tasted the '99 GE some seven times since my original review in Issue 5 and it continues to improve, indeed to the point that I have raised my score modestly. There is still a touch of new oak framing the penetrating red and blackberry fruits, vanilla and oriental spice aromas and it continues onto the beautifully detailed and quite robust flavors that deliver excellent precision. This is a big wine with richness, superb length and impressive refinement and it's clear that this will live for decades. In sum, this is very classy juice.

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. (April 2018)