"Richebourg" 1978

Richebourg is the most succulent wine in Burgundy, perhaps the world. It is aptly named, for no red Burgundy is richer or more abundantly endowed than Richabourg. It displays power and amplitude so prized by wine lovers today. If the Burgundian slate were viped clean and a new hierarchy established, its a fair guess that Richebourg, rather than Romande-Conti, would be anointed the greatest of all red Burgundies. A refined modem world craves strong, vibrant flavors. The greatness of Richebourg is that it supplies an imposing amount of supremely complicated flavors-the signature spiciness; violets, chocolate-wkh a resonance unrivaled in arry other red Burgundy. Moreover, it is delivered with great finesse.

This is classic Vosne, with all the spice and violets one seeks but too rarely finds. The Richebourg is massively concentrated, tannic, and reference-standard. This is one of the great estates of Vosne-Romanee, producing concentrated, finely detailed wines. These are wines against which others are judged.

Domaine-Gros Frere et Soeur is the domains created by Colette (soeur) and the late Gustave (frere). The wine is made by Collette's nephew, Bernard, son of the late Joan Gros. The style of wine making here is different from that of Domains Jean Gros: "more exuberantly fruity, softer and accessible sooner. The concentration is undeniable. The intensity of the extraordinary cassis taste can make you wonder."

Best years: 1998, 87, 85, 84, 83, 82, 80, 78.2

In good years, even the secondary Cote d'Or wines are equaled only by a handful of wines. There is no doubt that the Romanee-Richebourg wines are among the greatest of all red wines: they are the peers of Chambertin, Musigny and Clos Vougeot, with a personality entirely their own. Their bouquet has a spicy sweetness that is almost oriental, and there is in the texture of their body a caressing quality which is wonderful

The '78s, in general, are immensely impressive, showing very noticeable depth of color, richness and essential balance: fruit, tannin, acidity, alcohol and minutiae which provide intense fragrance and finesse. Five-star rating.

Nineteen-seventy-eight was dubbed 'the miracle year, referring to the sensational Indian summer that saved the Bordeaux wines from disaster. Similar good fortune also befell Burgundy. Spring and early summer were miserably cold and wet, causing poor flowering and a relatively small crop. In fact, the Burgundians claim the weather did not begin to improve until the very end of August, at which time the vineyards were nearly three weeks behind schedule-always an ominous sign. However, in one of the most unusual turnarounds in decades, fine weather moved in at the end of the third week in August and did not leave until the end of October. The crop size was small but the sunshine and heat of September and October allowed the Pinot Noir to ripen beautifully. The red wines have from their birth displayed elegance, balance, aromatic purity, and beautiful, rich red and blackberry fruits.

"The wines of Bernard Gros are among the most extraordinarily exotic, hedonistic wines produced in all of Burgundy. His domains of 20.62 acres includes 2.57 acres of Richebourg. The wines that emanate from this producer are sweet, with an incredible level of fruit extract, displaying a cascade of cassis, apricot, and raspberry aromas and flavors. Gros believes in a pre fermentation, cool maceration period, refuses to let the temperature of this fermentation get too intense, and does not employ any press wine. He uses 66-75% new oak casks, in which he keeps his wine 22-30 months. The Gros Frere et Soeur wines are in great demand throughout the world, and much of the production is sold to private clients who visit the cellars. All things considered, this is a source of some exceptionally interesting and staggeringly exotic red burgundies. I often wonder what miracles occur in his cellars to produce wines with such incredible bouquets of oranges, raspberries, and apricots. h is almost as it someone blended a trockenbeeranauslese with a great bottle of Petrus.

Quotes and references were extracted from the references as indicated. None of the authors is affiliated with Klein's Designs, nor does the use of their opinions indicate endorsement.

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