1999 Beaune Greves Vignes de l'Enfant Jesus

Tasted from magnum. Mid garnet with brick rim. Aroma is all maturity and undergrowth but it does still have that note of violets that is typical of this vineyard even though the aroma is more marked by dried fruit and leather and some nicely dusty notes, with undergrowth showing more with air. Complete, fresh and very, very long. Still chewy but so complex. Tannins are fully resolved yet quite dense. Still lots of life and still firmly structured. Great harmony. I think this might get even better! (JH)

Saturated dark red, showing almost no development. Lively aromas of wild forest berries and cherry liqueur. Concentrated, powerful and penetrating, but more about saline minerality, licorice and forest floor elements than fruit. The hot-vintage character is reflected by a bit of warmth in the wine's flavors but this very long, scented, tannic, uncommonly dense Baby Jesus still has a future. Winemaker Frédéric Weber told me that a bottle of this wine he tasted in a vertical a month before my visit was rounder and jammier and that my sample was tighter and more structured. He suggested decanting it with a game dish now or cellaring it "for a long time."

The medium to dark ruby-colored 1999 Beaune Greves Vignes de L'Enfant Jesus (Domaine Bottling) has herbal, black fruit aromas. This is a medium-bodied, tarry, blackberry, and cassis-laden wine with loads of tannin in its masculine, rugged personality. It will require 3-4 years of cellaring for its fruit to expand and gain the upper hand. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2010. Importer: Clicquot, Inc., New York, NY; tel. (212) 888-7575.