DRC's (again)

Before the questions are asked - 1) yes, I feel very lucky to get to taste the wines that I get to taste; 2) no, I never get tired of tasting them... now on with the show!

The 1999 Niebaum-Coppola Rubicon is a nice wine, if not a bit one-dimensional. It's good, certainly, just not great. The 1996 Chateau Pichon-Longueville Baron is nice as well. A bit of cocoa and toast still on this one... needs more time. Quite a bit softer and more opened than the 1995s of late. The 1997 Dominus continues to be one of the best of this over-hyped vintage. Like drinking pure gravel, this St.-Emilion clone is awesome with loads of cedary cigar box, tobacco leaves and black plums. Amazing wine. My list will have to be adjusted for this one... On to the Burgundy (I'll do them in the order I tasted them). The 1995 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Richebourg (last bottle) is still a baby. Tasted several times throughout the night, the first right after opening, then again an 1 1/2 hours later, then 2 hours after that, the wine was just opening at 1 1/2 hours and had blossomed at the 3 1/2 hour mark - but was by no means done. This needs at least another 10 years to fully open and be appreciated. The wine was so complex and powerful it blew me away. Better than any of the previous bottles of this that I've tasted that were impenetrably closed, this one had a stunning nose right from the outset. Awesome. The 1988 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Grands Echezeaux was a stunner as well... fully developed nose, with a palate that still needed a few year. If you're going to drink one, open it 1/2 hour ahead and then start to go to town over the next few hours. Black peppered earth with clovey-strawberries... Rustic in style (as GE is), with pure, silky smooth tannins. Like velvet. The 1988 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Romanee-St.-Vivant "Morey Monge" was very old-school DRC... Still has lots of tannin and lots of life. The nose was sweet candied cherries and strawberries with generous clove, tobacco-hay and sweet, silky smooth fruit on the palate... the difference in terroir was so clearly evident between these two bottles. One, sweet-fruit and earth, the other rustic power... I prefered the Grands Echezeaux last evening... the top 56 or whatever it is now will change...