9/98. Bought in auction, May-96 for $80 (imported for $96 net).
The very same wine but from the 1983 vintage is one of the best (B) I ever had! In my experience, Grands Echezeaux - one of the few 'affordable' true Grand Cru - rarely fails to live up to its reputation.
We took this bottle tonight to 'Roshfeld', one of Tel-Aviv best restaurants. Excellent dinner, really good service, even a reasonable bill...
COLOR: Medium (B) color with noticeable clearing around the rim.
NOSE: Cherries and cassis, intermingled with well pronounced and enticing 'Bourgogne Nose'. Complex nose that kept changing in the glass for the two hours or so that it lasted.
TASTE: Rich, mouthfilling and multi-flavored. Serious tannins - the hallmark of the 1988 vintage - are all over the place. Sweet and bitter, sour and winy - a real myriad of tastes. Fantastic grip and breed here.
LENGTH: Very long aftertaste that is not tannins-dominated in spite of their abundance on the palate.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Full bodied wine. Good fruit, concentration and acidity. Plenty of tannins not masking everything but enough to make me wish I'd waited a couple of more years before trying it. Great structure though presently a little unbalanced.
OVERALL: Superb! If in 2-4 years the tannins will recede and the wine won't dry up, it has a good chance of becoming extraordinary.
MARK: 18/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.

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Copyright 1996-2003.
Jacob "Yak" Shaya.