1990 Richebourg

Mongeard's medium ruby-colored Richebourg is similar in style to the Grands Echezeaux, with tons of sweet, smoky, new oak intermingled with scents of black fruits. In the mouth, much of the appeal of this full-bodied wine is from heavily charred barrels and the high alcohol that provides sweetness and glycerin. Although there is plenty of round, gentle fruit, little structure or definition can be found. For drinking over the next 5-6 years it is a dazzling, hedonistic, even decadent style of red burgundy, but a little more extraction of Pinot Noir fruit and less obvious new oak would have made this wine even more stunning. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Chester, VT.