Moderately saturated bright red. Aromas of strawberry, raspberry and menthol show a slightly decadent quality but also terrific lift. Marvelously silky and seamless, with its subtly sweet red fruit flavors complicated by spices, juniper berry and Cuban cigar tobacco and accented by a peppery topnote. At once spherical and firm, this soil-driven beauty has reached its plateau of peak maturity but should hold there for a good while. The acidity is nicely integrated and the mounting dusty tannins show a light touch. Anne Gros told me she'd prefer a rounder style but this wine was among the very best 2001s I tasted in Burgundy this fall.

The 2001 Richebourg Grand Cru from Anne Gros has a well defined, comparatively voluptuous nose thanks to the layering of new oak, but the wood is enmeshed within the fruit and maintains a very sensual purity, not masking the pinoté as I suspect it did in its formative years. The aromatics need time to open, but it is worth the wait. The palate is medium-bodied, very well balanced, supple and rounded - a texture that belies the backbone and structure within. It is a plush take on Richebourg, a style synonymous with Anne Gros, and here it works extremely well, especially considering that 2001 was not a top-grade Burgundy vintage. Chapeau Anne!