Bright full red. Pungent, utterly primary nose offers ripe blackberry, black cherry, violet, crushed stone, chocolate and coffee. Vibrant, sappy and palate-staining, with soil-driven flavors of dark berries, licorice, minerals and crushed stone complicated by a saline nuance. Here the vineyard manages to dominate the vintage, which is a neat trick in 2009. Finishes with noble, serious tannins and outstanding building persistence. Give this plenty of air if you plan to try it any time soon. Better yet, cellar it and forget it for a decade or more.

Tasted out of barrel at the Domaine. The Richebourg is decadent on the nose, very complex with dark broody fruits: dark cherries, blueberry and dark plum with a superb underlying mineralite. It seems to tighten up with aeration, offering more scents of Chinese Hoi sin and accentuated limestone. The palate is medium-bodied with structured, symmetrical tannic structure, very focused and extremely fresh, belying the power underneath and the sorbet-like finish (mandarin and citrus lemon.) Compact at the moment, but sure to unfurl over many years. Tasted November 2010.

The 2009 Richebourg is a deep, broad shouldered wine graced with superb class. Dark red cherries, tobacco and sweet spices flow effortlessly from a structured, intense frame. Elegance appears shortly thereafter, with hints of rose petal that add lift and freshness. This is a wonderfully complete, intense wine that will only require patience. Readers lucky enough to find it should not hesitate.