The 2006 Richebourg Grand Cru has a wonderful blackberry, brine and slightly peppery nose, the stem addition maybe a little more tangible than I would have expected. It coalesces in the glass, scents of black tea emerging with time. The palate displays an effortless balance, the fine tannins framing layers of black fruit with veins of blue. The sappiness comes through on the second half that is poised and satisfyingly long. Superb. Tasted at Hide restaurant in London.

The 2006 Richebourg is dark and brooding, with tannins that still need time to resolve. A sense of classic austerity runs through the 2006 that I expect will always be present.

An extremely pure and equally restrained nose of red berry fruit and a range of spices that include hoisin, soy, clove and a perfumed incense character plus intense floral notes, including rose petal and violets of which glimpses can also be found on the vibrant and very firmly structured full-bodied flavors that culminate in a long, powerful and understated finish of immense length. The character here is completely different than that of the RSV because while the muscle of the RSV is more like that of a world class gymnast, here it is body builder-like without being coarse or inelegant. Most impressive and this is a bit like the GE in that the natural elegance of the '06 vintage has tamed somewhat the inherent tendency for there to be a certain robustness in Richebourg to create a harmonious whole. Now that the wine is in bottle, it struck me as a block of stone from which only the vaguest outlines of the final form of the statue have yet to emerge. Superb potential.

Good deep red. Lucid, high-pitched aromas of raspberry, red cherry, minerals and rose petal, with a complicating suggestion of smoky earth. Densely packed and distinctly black in character, but with compelling sweetness to go along with its rather massive, masculine personality. Finishes with muscular but ripe tannins and terrific palate-staining length.

The Domaine's 2006 Richebourg leads with ripe, bright red fruits and smoked meat; fills the palate with sweet fruit concentrates and abundant, fine tannin, while tart notes of fruit skin, bitterness of cherry pit, and bittersweet vanilla lend counterpoint and invigoration; and finishes with striking suggestions of smoked and roasted meat as well as crushed stone and iodine. What starts out suggestive of sweetness and light, turns dark and brooding. If you don't find that too depressing a metaphor to contemplate, and if you have patience (and, naturally, the requisite budget), this should be seriously worth revisiting from around 8-15 or more years of age. The Domaine de La Romanee-Conti harvested from the 20th-25th of September (commencing with Richebourg) and subjected the crop to rigorous sorting. Understandably, the viticultural meticulousness at this estate as well as its team of some 60 highly-skilled and –motivated pickers paid dividends in the context of a challenging vintage. Director Aubert de Villaine and cellarmaster Bernard Noblet vinified their 2006s with a lesser share of stems and whole clusters, and exposed them to new wood for a shorter period (thereafter racking into older barrels) than the corresponding 2005s. Importer: Wilson-Daniels, St. Helena, CA; tel. (707) 963-9661

Sweeter and more fragrant fruit than the Échezeaux and Grands-Échezeaux. Already charming and enchanting. But there is still a little tight pepperiness to it. Markedly fresh, delicate in the mid palate but then a cloaked power on the finish. Very long, silky but firm tannins, like reinforced silk. (JH)