Frederic Esmonin, Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru, Ruchottes Chambertin

Aroma: red berries, menthol, burgundy funk, graphite, spearmint and cherries. On day 5 there’s the aroma of figs, prunes and cloves. Palate: red fruits, ruby grapefruits albeit faint, medium tannins with a long finish. Paired nicely with green onion crackers with creamy cheese and a dollop of pineapple and jalapeño pepper jelly. Made it more rounded and less tannic. The spiciness of the jelly brought out the sweetness of the fruit for this wine. On day 5, there’s more fruit …

Probably decent 5 years ago

Aroma: burgundy funk, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, barnyard, wet soil, prunes, menthol, wet forest floor and floral notes. Palate: citrus, bright acidity, medium tannins with a long finish. I’m not sure if it’s past its prime or just a bad bottle but it wasn’t as good as the last bottle I opened a year ago. 90-91

A little dumb and a little cloudy. Dark fruit nose not totally clean. Dark red fruit palate is not quite enough for all this structure. There's certainly weight to the body but this lacks detail.

Aroma: burgundy funk, menthol, strawberries, blueberries, stone fruits, cherry cola, brandied cherries, figs, prunes, mint and savory notes. Palate: strawberries, plums, medium tannins, long lingering finish, fruit forward and flavorful wine. Still fantastic on day 5! Lots of sediment, expected for a 16 year old wine. 93

Pop and pour. Beautiful nose with underbrush, crushed red fruit, and loads of mineral notes..soft funk and earth give this great depth. On the palate, loads of still got loads of nice acidity, followed by nice red fruits, and lots of crushed rock. Soft tannin on the tangy, mineral finish. Excellent, and just hitting its stride if this bottle is any indication.

Blind tasting, two hour decant, twas very closed at first (chilled) hard to guess, I got the decade right. After 30-40 mins of sipping and swirling this opened up wide with very complexed spices, sour notes, candied figs, the flavor is still changing. Must put my phone down and drink more wine now.

pale mature colour. Sweet decaying fruit on nose, hint of rust. Relatively high acidity but plenty of interest. Slightly angular. Excellent with food. good but lacks elegance and harmony.

Perfect bottle bought upon release and stored undisturbed. Decanted for 1hour and consumed over the next two. Ruby color with slight browning at rim. Restrained nose which blossomed to floral tones. Acidity restrained. Best sip was the last. Classy. Still years left.

My first 05….popped and poured. Bright raspberry color, crystal clear. The nose is enticing with subtle wood notes, spices and a light floral element. On the palate the wine is tart, mouth coating, slightly sappy but with very good precision and balance. The tannins are fine and have a nice velvet texture, and provide some lift. Very nice material in a medium weight style, probably more reminiscent of a 1er cru than a grand cru. The finish is long a …

Color is pretty advanced for a wine this age with significant browning at the rim. Very complex nose dominated by barnyard aromas, undercrush, berries and a hint of coffee. This is getting better and better in the glass - alcohol stands out a bit and not a lot of acidity but there is very good balance between the fruit and tannins. Finish is quite long and palate staining. Good buy at $60 but give it plenty of air.

Medium red, pale and slightly browning at the rim. Intense and very complex nose-- blueberries, boisenberries, earth, minerals, coffee and leather-- it evolves nicely with each whiff. On the palate, this is a focused wine with a great "peacock tail" of flavors that expand on the palate. Medium to full bodied, nicely balanced and juicy. Blueberries again, with plums, earth, spices, leather, coffee. Medium-soft tannins and juicy acidity add focus and length to the palate. Really a lovely wine, true …

Medium cherry color, paling but now browing at rim. Wonderful intense and complex aromas-- a melange of blueberries, plums, red fruits, earth, minerals, and leather. Medium bodied, focused, still quite tannic but with rich and broad fruit and earthy flavors-- blueberries again, with plums, earth, spices, leather, coffee-- well balanced, the the tannins clamp down on the finish, which still lasts quite awhile. Really quite a lovely wine, still has some years of evolution ahead.