Domaine Rene Engel Echezeaux Grand Cru 1999

WA92: Tasted at the Domaine Engel tasting in London, it had been 11 years since I last tasted the 1999 Echézeaux Grand Cru and this was a far superior experience. It has a dense, powerful bouquet in keeping with the vintage: slightly minty dark plum and mulberry fruit, a hint of soy. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannin, impressive body and density with earthy red and black fruit, just a touch of volatility lending warmth at the back of the throat. This is a gutsy Echézeaux, a little gaminess creeping in towards the finish with white pepper lingering on the aftertaste. It just pips the Clos de Vougeot this year. Tasted October 2016