Just as it was last year, this is also very shut down at present though vigorous swirling coaxes superbly elegant and pure aromas that are wonderfully broad and include red, black, blue and violet aromas as well as seemingly a full cupboard of Asian spices that complement to perfection the extremely rich, full and sweet flavors that are quite floral in the mouth, all wrapped in a detailed and punchy finish where the tannic spine is completely buried. While it sounds moderately odd to describe it this way, there is a swagger to the '05 Riche and this will clearly be one very long distance runner. The other aspect that is notable is how intensely mineral-driven the '05 Riche is and interestingly, this seems almost delicate next to the opulence of the RSV. Indeed it's as though the Riche and RSV have exchanged personalities! A (very high level) qualitative choice but believe me when I say that the underlying characters of these two wines couldn't be more different.

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($1080) Bright ruby-red. Quite closed on the nose, hinting at dark cherry, chocolate and mocha. Then ripe, sweet and voluptuous in the mouth, with a thick texture leavened by harmonious acidity and lifted by sexy spices and flowers. This currently conveys a drier impression and comes off as more aggressive than the RSV, which is more likeable today. My sample appears to be slightly muted by some sulfur. Best today on the very long finish, which features big but thoroughly buffered tannins. This will need at least 15 years of aging.

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Perhaps very slightly darker than the St-Vivant but only just. Bright crimson. Hint of cheesiness on the nose. Then the fruit kicked up and curled over the cheesiness with a lick like a satisfied cat. Rather less expressive so far than the St-Vivant. Very solid aromatically - lots of flavour buried in there – but then surprising delicacy on the palate. Not as long as the St-Vivant.

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The 2005 Richebourg suggests lightly cooked cherry, lilies, and vanilla-chocolate pot de creme, coming onto the palate with a gentle wave of creamy fruit, almost shockingly open-knit and youthfully generous. Low-toned richness of salted beef broth and a hint of wet stone add hints of gravitas, but despite ample (refined) tannins, there is nothing to restrain a veritable gushing of ripe, juicy, sweet finishing fruit. This might close up for a time, but these early indications suggest one ought to revisit it in 3-5 years and expect it to offer much earlier enjoyment than the Grands-Echezeaux or Romanee-St.-Vivant.

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Bottle # 01956