The 1991 vintage in Burgundy follows in a long line of fine vintages dwarfed by the shadow of a preceding vintage of legendary proportions. Bordeaux vintages such as 1962 and 1983 quickly come to mind as other fine years trapped in relative obscurity. In terms of quality and development, I feel the 1991 Burgs will follow a very similar developmental trajectory as the 1983 Bordeaux. Both vintages began life a bit more austere than their larger than life older siblings, but will attain their peaks of maturity long before the 1982 Bordeaux and 1990 Burgundy apogee. On release, the 1991s possessed fine fruit, medium-bodied formats, firm tannins, and a "resinous" streak through the middle that made them fairly unenjoyable to pull corks on over their first couple of years of life. Like many wine enthusiasts, I spent my remaining capital and energy trying to pick up and languishing 1990s, rather than jump in with both feet into the 1991s. While I do not regret the additional '90s, I am beginning to rue my paucity of 1991s in the vault. The wines are developing beautifully, with the secondary and tertiary aromas of maturing Burgundy beginning to churn from the glass. The initial austerity and "resiny" qualities of the palates are long gone, and the wines are fleshing out and opening beautifully. Many of these wines are already superb to drink now, with their absolute apogees only a few years away. For those who took advantage of the (relatively) lower prices on the 1991s, the awards are already becoming apparent. One of the great "sleeper vintages" in Burgundy in the last two decades.

The Wine List:
1991 Corton "Renardes"- Leroy
1991 Vosne-Romanee Cros Parantoux- Rouget
1991 Vosne-Romanee les Brulees- Leroy
1991 Echezeaux- Georges & Henri Jayer
1991 Echezeaux- Jayer-Gilles
1991 Echezeaux- Jacques Cacheaux
1991 Grands Echezeaux- Mongeard-Mugneret
1991 Clos Vougeout- Leroy
1991 Clos Vougeout- Meo-Camuzet
1991 Clos de la Roche V.V.- Ponsot
1991 Clos de la Roche- Dujac
1991 Clos de la Roche- Hubert Lignier
1991 Charmes-Chambertin- Hubert Lignier
1991 Chambertin- Domaine de Chezeaux
1991 Chambertin- Rousseau

1991 Corton "Renardes"- Leroy

Domaine Leroy has made some of the most complete wines of the vintage. Many of these wines will need and additional five to ten years cellaring to hit their peaks, but they promise to be some of the legendary bottles of Burgundy of the first three decades of the next millennium. This was a Corton of epic proportions. Closed and black fruity on the nose, with scents of cassis, plum, meaty tones, chocolate, coriander, and minerals. Huge, powerful, and palate-staining on the palate, with layers of ripe fruit, plenty of tannin, and a long, complex, powerful finish. A very, very stylish example of a powerhitting Corton. A wine to bat cleanup. 2001-2020. 92.

1991 Vosne-Romanee Cros Parantoux- Rouget

If I could only drink one wine from one vineyard in Burgundy (God forbid!), I guess this would have to be it. The Pinot Noir attains such a quintessential "tanginess" and opulence in this vineyard, that I would have to rank it as my paradigm of red Burgundy. The 1991 is a magnificent wine: the nose explodes from the glass with scents of sweet raspberry, plum, coffee, forest floor, Vosne spice, and toasty new oak. Medium-full and quite tangy on the palate, with a juicy core of fruit, laser-like focus, and a long, complex, moderately tannic finish. A stellar wine that has put on weight and richness in the bottle. Not the best bottle of the vintage, but a sentimental favorite. Give it a couple more years to really blossom. 1999-2010. 93+.

1991 Vosne-Romanee les Brulees- Leroy

In the dizzying altitude of Leroy pricing, the two Vosne Premier Crus of Beaumonts and Brulees, as well as the Nuits St. Georges "Boudots" stand out as relative values. Priced similarly with many Grand Crus, they are routinely of great Grand Cru quality. This wine was no exception. Initially, this wine was a lump sitting in a flight next to a fruit explosion (the Cros Parantoux). But with air, this wine really came on: a gorgeous, intense nose of cassis, plum, game, chocolate, forest floor, herb tones, minerals, and cedary wood. With extended breathing, a floral topnote and scents of cocoa powder further embellished the nose. Deep, full and old-viney on the palate, with a huge core of fruit, serious power and concentration, and long, tannic finish. Not as backward as I would have predicted, but by no means ready. 2002-2025. 94.

1991 Echezeaux- Georges & Henri Jayer

This is a parcel of vines owned by Henri Jayer's older brother, Georges Jayer. The vines are tended by Henri's nephew, Emmanuel Rouget, and the wine is made by Henri Jayer. In the family's holdings of Echezeaux, this is the second finest parcel (only eclipsed by the well-situated parcel of old vines that Henri himself owns). It is extremely rare, but if one is lucky to find a bottle, it is sublime stuff. The 1991 is a quintessential expression of great Burgundy: a profound, magical nose of black cherry, plum, sweet cassis, floral tones, forest floor, chocolate, smoke, and toasty oak soars from the glass. Deep, full and creamy on the palate, with great attack, and an even more brilliant expression of fruit and terroir on the backend. A wine of poise, sumptuousness, and grip. Profound juice. 1999- 2010. 96+.

1991 Echezeaux- Jayer-Gilles

Stylistically, this is one of my least favorite wines. Big, inky, and often quite muscle-bound with bottle age, this wine seems to sacrifice elegance and complexity in exchange for mere power. I can vividly recall how the 1985 stole the show early on at comparative tastings with its huge core of sweet fruit. And then how each ensuing bottle over the next few years showed less and less sweetness, and more rigidity and funky, "tarry" tones. The wine is certainly a competently made wine, but it is a style that leaves me decidedly cold. However, the constituent components of this wine are certainly difficult to deny: a deep-pitched, sweet nose of black fruit, leather, herb tones, game, smoke, tar and toasty oak wafts form the glass. Full-bodied and quite sweet on the palate, with firm tannins, a tight structure, and real length and grip on the finish. The winemaking seems cleaner and more classic than the 1985, but this is still a wine that somehow lacks intellectual integrity. Will it age into a wine that tastes less manipulated? 2000-2010. 91.

1991 Echezeaux- Jacques Cacheaux

I am sure many tasters would find it hard to believe that I like this wine as much as the above. Without anywhere near the weight and extract of the above, this bottle delivers as much intensity of flavor, and a more traditional expression of terroir and texture than the Jayer-Gilles. The nose is quite mature, with classic Echezeaux notes of bonfires, game, plums, cassis, coffee, and toasty new oak. The secondary and tertiary aromas of sous bois are already here is spades. Medium-full, bright and quite poised on the palate, with fine delineation and focus, soft tannins, and a long, complex, bouncy finish. Fine stuff, but for drinking over the next few years. 1996-2005. 90.

1991 Grands Echezeaux- Mongeard-Mugneret

Year in and year out, Mongeard's Grands Echezeaux stands out for its excellent quality. Believe it or not, the 1983 is even an outstanding wine! The 1991 is superb, with a classic nose of sweet cassis, plum, chocolate, bonfires, herb tones, coffee, minerals, and toasty new oak. Pure and penetrating on the nose, with seemingly even more polish and style than vintages of this wine from the 1980s. Full-bodied and tangy on the palate, with superb extract, firm tannins, and a long, juicy finish nicely framed with bright acids. Still three of four years away from its peak, this will be one delicious bottle! 2000-2020. 94.

1991 Clos Vougeout- Leroy

A fine bottle, that alas, was sadly corked. There is plenty of depth, sweetness and stuffing underneath, so I am sure this is good juice.

1991 Clos Vougeout- Meo-Camuzet

This is always one of my least favorite wines at Chez Meo. For whatever reason (young vines?), the wine always seems a bit light and easy going for a Grand Cru from a top producer. In fact, I often prefer four of the domaine's Premier Crus to this wine! Correspondingly, my expectations of this wine were quite low, and in a flight of Grand Cru Leroys, I expected this wine to be quite swamped. However, it showed superbly: a very pretty, floral nose of plums, cassis, chocolate, herbs and toasty new oak jumps from the glass. Still a bit reticent on the palate, with a juicy core of fruit, fine length and focus, and surprisingly strong on the finish. This wine shows more depth and power than the 1988! Good stuff. 1998-2010. 91.

1991 Clos de la Roche V.V.- Ponsot

Ponsot, when everything is in order, is one of the greatest tasting experiences in Burgundy. However, dramatic bottle variation is the norm here, not the exception. Thus Ponsot's wines are most often associated with spectacular levels of fruit and depth. They are on virtually every short list of Burgundy's top domaines. However, while there is no denying the magical heights that this property's wines can hit, they seem as plagued by extreme bottle variation as anyone in the Cote D'Or. I had this wine twice in a week, and one bottle was about as fine an example of a 1991 Burgundy as I hope to come across. The other bottle was decidedly lighter and quite high-toned, without anywhere near the depth of extract and sweetness of fruit of the fine example. Both bottles were bought on release and stored perfectly, so the variation must originate with the domaine. (A similar lack of consistency plagues the 1985 Clos de la Roche V.V. as well.) The tasting note reflects the best bottle. The nose explodes from the glass with sappy notes of sweet plum, cherry, coffee, game, smoke, mustard seed, earth and toasty new oak. Deep, full, sweet and sappy on the palate, with amazing amounts of sweet fruit, fine structure, and stunning length on the finish. A wine that is drinking magnificently already, but with years of life ahead of it. Amazingly, a few tasters found this too syrupy for their taste. A great bottle of wine. 1996-2005. 96.

1991 Clos de la Roche- Dujac

Here is a very stylish wine, but in the context of the '91 vintage, this wine is a bit of a letdown. The nose is fine, with scents of cherry, strawberry, plum, coffee, herbs and toasty new oak. A certain aspect of greenness to the tones. Medium-bodied and a touch lean on the palate, with modest mid-palate saturation, a bit of tannin, and a long, potentially complex finish. This wine needs to fill out a bit (which it may), to reach the usual high standards of Jacques Seysses. At the '91 tasting a few weeks ago (this was served blind at a dinner), this wine would have placed dead last! 1998-2008. 88.

1991 Clos de la Roche- Leroy

An exotic, volatile nose of plum, venison, smoke, herbs, coffee, minerals, and toasty new oak explodes from the glass. As packed as this wine is with ripe fruit and terroir, it is also, impossibly closed. Deep, powerful, and bracing in its sense of extract on the palate, with huge tannins buried in layers of fruit. Noticeable acidity adds even more grip and structure to this extremely powerful, profound wine. Certainly not enjoyable today, but this will be one of the handful of wines that define this vintage in ten to fifteen years time! 2005-2040. 95.

1991 Clos de la Roche- Hubert Lignier

Hubert Lignier's Clos de la Roche is one of the great bottlings in the Cote D'Or, and they have achieved another monumental success with their 1991. A profound showing for this wine: a magnificent nose of blackberry, plum, venison, coffee, minerals, herb tones and toasty new oak soars form the glass. Deep, sweet and packed with ripe fruit on the palate, with great structure and sweetness in the middle, fine tannins, and a long, complex, tsunami of a finish. As good as Clos de la Roche ever gets, and worth a special search. 1999-2015. 95.

1991 Charmes-Chambertin- Hubert Lignier

This was the only Lignier Charmes that I got to at this tasting, though there were quite a few vintages on the table! Truly a crime, since there is so little Lignier Charmes to go around for a very thirsty world. The nose is exquisite, with scents of cassis, cooked plums, chocolate, an underpinning of grilled beef, herbs, minerals, and sweet vanillin oak. Beautifully delineated and quite concentrated on the palate, with layers of sweet fruit, round, ripe tannins, and a long, complex, lush finish. Very, very impressive. Clearly 1991 is a fine success at Chez Lignier. 1996-2010. 93.

1991 Chambertin- Domaine Chezeaux

Domaine de Chezeaux wines have been a bit controversial over the last couple of years, as it became apparent that the impression that the wines were all made by Ponsot was incorrect. However, the Chambertin is made by Ponsot (rather than the other winemaker in this sharecropping agreement, Frederic Esmonin), and is one of the top examples of the vintage. A lovely, complex nose of red cherry, plum, coffee, grilled meats, herbs, and a touch of oak jumps from the glass. On the palate, the wine is medium-full, stylish, complex, but not a blockbuster; clearly, Ponsot is keeping the best barrels of this wine for himself. Moderate tannins and fine length on the finish. 1999-2008. 91.

1991 Chambertin- Rousseau

Rousseau was very successful in 1991, and his flagship bottle is once again one of the top ten wines of the vintage. A significant step up from Lignier's Charmes-Chambertin: deeper, sweeter, and more powerful on the nose, with scents of sweet cassis, plum, black cherry, game, smoke, herbs, grilled meats, minerals, floral tones, and toasty new oak. Full-bodied, deep and focused on the palate, with firm tannins, a great core of fruit, and lovely, tangy acidity giving the wine great vibrancy. Still five or so years away from its peak, where it should hold magnificently for two decades. Super stuff. 2000-2020. 94+.