93 1999 Vincent Girardin Echezeaux 12/2/05 ($45at CW)
Color: Medium black cherry with just enough onion skin to look ready, but very healthy. (3.0) Bouquet: Black truffles, game and wet leaves with beef broth. Very aromatic, interesting and classy with rich, sweet black cherry fruit. Lively mineral and acidity in background. (4.0) Body: Solid middleweight with excellent acidity propelled fruit. (3.0) Flavor: Black cherry, vanilla and musky, wet leaves with a touch of chalky acidity. (3.0) Finish: Parallels bouquet with better definition than the flavor. Long and sweet with a slight nuance of bananas. (3.5)
Overall: A very tasty, peak Burgundy with sweet fruit. It could be a little bigger, but Echezeaux tends to be the lightest of the Grand Crus, coming around first. If I’m lucky, my other bottle may be even better due to pristine storage since its release, unlike this one which I just bought at CW. A very tasty expression of Echezeaux with interesting terroir complexity. A touch of chalky acidity and an almost unperceivable hint of frizzante are my only minor complaints. (16.5)