2002 Musigny Vieilles Vignes

Very rich, bitter cherry flavours but savoury rather than sweet with masses of fruit still. Great freshness and the bittersweetness grew in the glass. Very long and great immediacy. Readier than the 1999 served alongside. (JR)

(bottled in April) Good deep red-ruby. Superripe aromas of black raspberry, wild blackberry, blueberry syrup, mocha and licorice. Large-scaled, dense and broad, but more broodingly backward today than the Bonnes-Mares. But this stunning wine shows uncanny energy and sappiness in the mouth and great breadth, solidity and lift on the finish, with explosive flavors of blueberry, blackberry, raspberry and menthol.

The extraordinary 2002 Musigny Vieilles Vignes will most likely not have as much cellaring potential as the great 1949, 1959, or 1990, yet qualitatively is in the same league as those jewels from the past. It sports a profound nose of red cherries, spices, candied raspberries, and hints of oak. This noble, concentrated, refined wine reveals loads of flowers intermingled with red as well as black fruits in its complex personality. Unlike the bold, chewy, hyper-concentrated 1990, this is a feminine wine, a work of art with exquisite tannin. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2018. Importers: Importer: David Hinkle, North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA; tel. (800) 266-6585; A David Schildknecht Selection, Vintner Select, Cincinnati, OH; tel. (513) 229-3630; Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700; Chambers & Chambers, Inc., San Francisco, CA; tel. (415) 642-5500; Dreyfus Ashby, New York, NY; tel. (212) 818-0770; Ideal Wines, Medford, MA; tel. (781) 395-3300; and a Becky Wasserman Selection / Le Serbet; French Fax: 011-33-3-80-24-29-70; various American importers.