Richebourg		1985	DRC

8/98. Bought in auction Sep-96 for $260 (imported for $280 net). I bought this rare bottle "in partnership" with my friend Oded Lerer. Oded kept the bottle in his cellar.
Richebourg is rightly considered among the best, most voluptuous wines in the world. This Vosne-Romanee Grand Cru is always rare and expensive, especially from the fabled Domaine de la Romanee Conti. In theory at least, one cannot get much higher than the trio DRC, Richebourg, 1985...
Tonight, for an 'impromptu' (yet delicious!) Friday dinner at their house, Oded opened 'our' most expensive wine. Both bottle and cork seemed to be in perfect condition.
COLOR: Unimpressive pale brick-red with noticeable clearing around the rim. Quite a lot of sediment.
NOSE: Fantastic mixture of delicate aromas. From semi-ripe cherries and cassis to beautiful floral fragrance, all enveloped by the most elegant 'Bourgogne Nose'. Perfectly enticing at first, the nose developed some coarse edges after a couple of hours.
TASTE: Rich and complex flavors. Velvety smooth with excellent fruit. Extremely delicate and fine on the palate. Very tasty of course but a bit flattish, lacking somewhat in grip.
LENGTH: Long and pleasant sweet aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: I find it hard to classify this wine in terms of body. Certainly not a full-bodied block buster, or anything even remotely close. Neither of course is it a feeble or light wine in any sense. Rich in flavor and complexity, yet so delicate and elegant. I would almost say too delicate! Excellent fruit, good winyness, lacks in acidity and dying tannins.
OVERALL: Superb-plus wine no doubt, but either a bit beyond its peak or it always lacked that special majestic touch. Jean Gross 1985 Richebourg was a better wine, as was the 1989 Meo-Camuzet I had less than a month ago.
MARK: 18.5/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? No.

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Copyright 1996-2003.
Jacob "Yak" Shaya.