1999 Vosne Romanee Les Brulees

The 1999 Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Les Brulees, served blind, has a deep, broody nose that feels younger than its 15 years. There is plenty of ripeness here, slightly medicinal, with just a hint of menthol emerging with time in the glass, a nose that expresses the precocity of that season. The palate is medium-bodied with firm, chewy tannins – a robustness that marks out a great Brulees. There is good depth: a sturdy and forthright Vosne-Romanee with a sweet, plush finish that suggests it will chug along nicely for another decade. Tasted March 2014.

Good medium red. Perfumed, very fresh aromas of musky red fruits, rose petal, minerals and baked bread. Broad, ripe and creamy on the palate, with a fine-grained texture and terrific energy to the complex, soil-inflected flavors. Wonderfully plush and ripe but classically dry too. In fact, this impressively youthful wine seems to be just starting to open today. Finishes with noble tannins and slowly mounting length.

In contrast to the almost exuberant expressiveness of several vintages of Brulées, the '99 is quite reserved though aggressive swirling coaxes the first hints of secondary development and gorgeous spice notes that can also be found on the still quite primary, indeed youthful big-bodied flavors that are stylish and pure while culminating in a mouth coating and strikingly intense finish where a discreet touch of wood surfaces. This is one of those wines that is actually quite firmly structured but there is so much mid-palate extract that the flavors are deceptively approachable. While some may enjoy this for what it already has to offer, for my preferences I would continue to let this slumber for at least another 5 to 8 years. In sum, a great vintage for this wine.