Tasted at the Burgundy 2003 dinner (non-blind.) This is a very impressive Clos Vougeot from Engel. Open knit and expressive on the nose, wild strawberry, red cherry and just a hint of hawthorn. The palate is medium-bodied, fleshy and sensuous with silky smooth tannins and superb weight. Very pure, very ravishing with nice backbone on the finish that should serve this wine for 5-8 years or more. Such brightness and clarity. Wonderful. Drink now-2018. Tasted April 2009.

The 2003 Clos Vougeot explodes from the glass with licorice, dark cherries, and a myriad of spices. A wine of considerable depth, it is packed with suave black fruits immersed in chocolate. Well-structured, ripe, and exceptionally long, it will merit a higher score if its alcoholic warmth is absorbed into the wine with time (something that sometimes occurs with Pinot Noirs). Projected maturity: 2008-2017. Importer: A Peter Vezan Selection, Paris fax #011-33-1-42-55-42-93

Only mid crimson. Fully exotic, round and charming. Not a great core of fruit in the middle. Slightly more vegetal than usual. A bit more restrained than Les Brûlées on the nose, then a great whack of ripe fruit on the palate. Very impressive. Pretty fierce tannins, but the fruit is good. (JR)