Provenance

Private Client

Critics Ratings

‘(Etienne Grivot told me that this was a high-VA vintage for him; my sampled had been carafed for two hours): Good full red. Empyreumatic and balsamic aromas of plum, chocolate and graphite reminded me of a mature Pomerol on first sniff. A bit monolithic on the attack, then fine-grained but still tight in the middle palate--even a bit unyielding--compared to recent vintages of this bottling. Conveys a sexy iodiney minerality and good sweetness, as well as noteworthy energy, but still a bit more evolved than I would have thought. The tannins are slightly peppery and dusty compared to today's wines but give the wine a solid structural underpinning. Said Etienne Grivot: "1999 was at the very beginning of my modern period," adding that he changed his technique a bit in 2000 in search of wines that were a little less rigorous.’ - Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, 91/100 (Nov 2017)

‘Interesting contrast of elegance and austerity with remarkably fine, intense, earthy fruit and structured flavors that offer excellent sève and solid structure. This will need time as it's presently closed and tight yet everything is here to permit it to age for at least a decade or more.’ - Allen Meadows, Burghound.com, 90/100 (Jan 2002)