1991 Ruchottes Chambertin

The 1991 Ruchottes-Chambertin could be the first success under the aegis of Marie-Christine Teillaud. This is a marvelous wine. It races out of the blocks on the nose, quite sensual and harmonious with cassis, star anis and minerals; fresh and lively. There is more spring in its step compared to the 1990 and resembles more the 1993. As it unfolds, it reveals a subtle medicinal note. The palate is very well balanced with finer tannin than either the 1989 or 1990. It is an equal blend of red and black fruit, linear and maybe a little conservative to more recent vintages, yet I discerned a “confident” finish laden with sappy black fruit laced with subtle veins of orange pith. This is an excellent Ruchottes-Chambertin that will give another decade’s worth of drinking pleasure. Tasted at the Ruchottes-Chambertin vertical in London.