Bonnes Mares			1993	R. Groffier

2/98. Acquired from New-York Oct-96 for $75.
Believe it or not, but this is my first 1993 (B) bottle! Oh, I have tasted a few '93s with some growers in Burgundy a couple of years ago, but this is my first bottle. I rarely drink Burgundies at five years of age, and certainly not such exalted Grand Cru as Bonnes Mares. Why tonight? dunno, a kind of maso-curiosity? :)
I have only had one Bonnes Mares from Groffier in the past, the 1986. It was a truly fantastic wine, by far the best I ever tasted from that ugly vintage.
COLOR: Full darkish [by (B) standards] red, very thin clearing towards the rim. The label said "unfiltered" but there was no sediment at all in the bottle.
NOSE: Beautiful! Vibrant aroma of fresh cherries, very delicate and clean 'Bourgogne Nose'. Some notes of vanilla that later on turned a bit nutty. The nose was extremely enticing for an hour, then it became somewhat burly.
TASTE: As fantastic as the nose. Sweetish flavors of fresh red fruit, mouth-filling pure winyness though on the elegant rather than the heavy side. Nice grip, very good acidity and - surprise surprise - no harsh tannins at all. Though it feels young on the palate of course, there is nothing "closed" or reserved here. A pleasure to drink.
LENGTH: Medium long and multi-layered aftertaste for the first hour. Then some bitterness crept in on the finish.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Medium weight, rich texture, plenty of breed. Pure, elegant, delicate but well structured. Excellent balance, at least for the first hour.
OVERALL: Superb-plus! I was really surprised that this wine is so forward vibrant and expressive now. Somehow I feel though this is not the kind of wine that will mature and age gracefully for many years. Will probably reach its peak in 2-4 years.
MARK: 18.5/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.

Reach Me? yak@yakshaya.com

Copyright 1996-2003.
Jacob "Yak" Shaya.