2001 Richebourg
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Tasting notes
Lalou Bize-Leroy's 2001 Richebourg Grand Cru is drinking brilliantly, entirely transcending early estimates of the vintage's quality. Soaring from the glass with a captivating bouquet of wilted rose petals, peonies, exotic spices, sweet red berries, plums and vine smoke, it's full-bodied, satiny and sensual, with an enveloping core of vibrant fruit, melting tannins and a long, pungently perfumed finish. It's at the beginning of a glorious plateau of maturity.
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Pierre Rovani
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
The 2001 Richebourg Grand Cru from Leroy has a pure, elegant and bewitchingly reserved bouquet that only gradually unfurls in the glass. This is not as immediate as the Romanée-Saint-Vivant; just a touch of oak shows through for the first 30 minutes, although it is rapidly subsumed. There are captivating scents of black cherry, hints of cranberry and almost moss-like aromas here. The palate is defined by supple tannin, quite dense and certainly youthful given that it is now 17 years old. It feels very layered in the mouth. The fruit profile veers more toward red than black, laced with rose petals and a hint of glycine. A slightly honeyed texture develops with time. A sensual and voluptuous Richebourg compared to the more masculine take on the vineyard from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. 2,098 bottles produced. Tasted at the DRC/Leroy comparative dinner in Hong Kong.
A magnificent burst of regal red fruits explodes from the glass of the medium to dark ruby-colored 2001 Richebourg. Big, plush, expansive, and noble, this impressively endowed wine is medium to full-bodied, deep, and concentrated. Its opulent personality reveals loads of spice-laden, gorgeously sweet blackberries and dark cherries. While its finish is somewhat rustic, this is an outstanding, powerful, complex offering in a vintage where those attributes are rare. Projected maturity: 2005-2012. Jun 2003, www.robertparker.com
About the producer
For many, Domaine Leroy represents the pinnacle of fine Burgundy. Owned and run by the legendary Lalou Bize-Leroy, the domaine in Vosne-Romanée is one strand of the Leroy empire, along with Maison Leroy and Domaine d’Auvenay.