Boring Start... Exciting Finish

Sloooowwww night... ah.. it's ok. The 2001 Carrillion de l'Angelus, 2nd wine of Chateau l'Angelus was pretty - completely St.-Emilion with it's smokey, cocoa, huckleberry nose. Nice and soft. Still needs some time. The 2003 Lewis Cabernet Sauvignon continues to impress. Big and chocolatey, this is serious stuff. While I think it needs some time to sort itself out, I think that this probably should be peaking in 3-4 years. Great stuff. On to the "real" wines... The 1999 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Echezeaux is exquisite. Powerful on the nose, with notes of finely turned dry earth, clove, wild strawberry, tobacco, leaves, and cinnamon. This is structured for a long life. The acid, tannins, and fruit are so finely balanced, it's awesome. Lay it down for at least another 5, as this was showing slightly closed (decanted 3 hours) at the beginning and end of the decanting period. One of the great old Burgundies I've ever had the pleasure of tasting was the 1976 Leroy Romanee-Saint-Vivant. It came out of the bottle looking like Kool-aid (a bright red, clear, vibrant wine). But the nose and palate were complete blockbusters. Horse manure, black earth, dried decaying leaves, beautiful, elegant cedar and hints of wild strawberries and plums. This wine is classic RSV, and after tasting the 2001 DRC RSV yesterday, this Leroy is clearly superior. Needed a full 15-20 minutes to really open up, and the guests were thrilled. Simply tremendous experience. So fragrant and powerful, yet such beauty and grace. This is what great Burgundy is all about. Hard not to cry... I doubt it will continue to improve, but this is showing no signs of decline. This wine is incredible and would be an experience for any lover of Burgundy.