Medium-deep ruby red in color with a slight hint of clearing at the edges. Full, forward, & fragrant nose of ripe fruit aromas of cherries, raspberries & strawberries with overtones of earthy & floral notes, loam, sandalwood, tea, exotic spices, minerals, truffles, leather, smoky & a slight hint of rusty iron notes in the background. Medium bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, ripe red fruit flavors of cherries, mulberries & cranberries with herbs, spices, mushrooms & minerals. Long lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present & at 26 years of age, it still has the potential to continue aging longer although any further development may be minimal. A wonderful, aged Burg!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
[Magnum] Ultimately I believe this was corked, although at the beginning it had a beautiful nose of pure red fruit and detailed spice. I’ve never had a bottle start so promising and then shut down completely. The sort of cork that doesn’t obviously smell like cellar floor or cardboard or anything, but rather the variety where the palate is just muted / stunted. My 'best' contribution to the dinner tonight so extraordinarily disappointing...
1996 Burg lunch at Odette. Served alongside the Dujac E 1996. Quite pale ruby red, touch of bricking at the rim. This had the signature exotic and wild Engel nose. Arabic spice, leather, sandalwood, wild strawberries, pomegranate, cherries, truffle, cigar box and barnyard. On the nose alone, this was truly sensational. Palate was slightly lean, with the acidity being slightly overwhelming. There was a good amount of red fruit, incense, spice, truffle, orange peel, cigar box and mocha. The wine put on more weight and developed various secondary characteristics with extended time, and I'm inclined to think this could be slightly better with another 5-10 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The 1996 Engel wines all have noticeable volatile acidity, and the domaine seems to have had an especially bad batch of corks in this vintage, so caveat emptor, but the wine opens up in the glass to reveal a nice nose of plums, spice, blood orange and leather, without every quite losing the rusty pipe bloodiness it showed on opening. On the palate the wine has considerable authority and volume, with nice bright acids, but it's ultimately disjointed. I found it really hard to get a read on this wine, and despite the vintage's good reputation I would go for almost any other if given the choice.
2 bottles. The first was glorious, rich spicy fruit with some lovely smokey development, balanced and long. The 2nd was borderline corked, not enough to top the bottle, but was lacking the depth of flavour and far more about the acidity rather than the fruit, the 1st bottle was the scored wine and could last many more years
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Carmine red. Expressive and complex bouquet with barnyard, smoke, minerals and forest floor. Some spiciness as well. On the palate juicy, with good minerals, some tea, leather and tobacco. Good acidity and bitterness. Great length. Ready now and the next few years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I just got home from my honeymoon, so I went 8+ days sans Burgundy... yet it was still Heaven (there was lots of Champagne after all). That said, this 1996 Rene Engel Grands Echezeaux was a welcome reminder of why I love Burgundy. Sous-bois, crisp cherries, and a velvety mouthfeel that hid an iron fist of acidity and a long long long finish. To quote George Costanza, if it was socially acceptable I'd wrap myself up in this. Man, that wine felt great on the palate, I never wanted it to end. But, after a few hours in the bottle-shaped decanter, it started slipping a bit. I'd say drink up within the next 2-4 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Compared to the "normal" Echezeaux, this wine is darker in color, more complex and more youthful. Rustic and earthy impressions and minerals in the bouquet and on the palate. There is firm bitterness and fleshy tannin with still a firm bite. Long finish. Great wine still in The first half of its maturity stage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bright and glowing in the glass, pale red, no bricking. Bottle 735 of 1500 according to the label. 13.5% alcohol. Black cherry and sous-bois nose. Tastes like a young wine, absolutely not over the hill and seems to be developing still. Quite an acid bite and grainy but fine tannins, best with food at the moment. Very long and developed nicely until the last glass, very easy to drink a whole bottle of this, each taste reveals a bit more. Delicious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Philippe pulled this one out blind. Given its ruby red center and clearish rims, I thought it would be an '89 or a '90 vintage. The high intensity nose was impressive from the get-go featuring sour cherries, sandlewood, figs, along with some floral scents.
In the mouth the wine was light and lively with flavors that reiterated the nose. At first the wine was a bit short but its length and depth improved after about 2 hours of air. While this was easily drinkable now, my guess is that it would gain a bit of complexity in the mouth with another 5 to 10 years of age. If that proves true, it could also pick up another rating point or two.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fully mature. A cloudy, bloody red hue. Notes of strawberries, sour cherries, rust and earth. Very elegant, good finish and dry tannins. I don't see this improving, so drink up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened 2 hours before dinner to check, it had some nice earthy, mushroomy sweet cherries on the nose but almost nothing on the palate. However, there was a hint of something subdued, and so I decided to let this sit on the AC and hang around while I prepared dinner.
Two hours later, wow, vive la difference!
As dinner was plated, I poured this and began sniffing away... Lovely flowery aromas of earthy, almost muddy and mushroomy sweet bing cherries, with hints of spices and a profound depth that made me swoon, with the beginnings of that gorgeous funk that older Burgundy gets. The mouthfeel was almost velvety, but with a slightly fuzzy precision that was still delicious in its own imperfect way, with more of the same notes as the nose. And what a long, lovely finish, leaving you with that haunting impression of its presence that good Burgundy does.
I was surprised at how open this was (relatively speaking), considering many of the 1996s I've had previously from other producers were still pretty tight. This was very nice, though it did need about 2 hours of airtime and then a quick decanting into a bottle-shaped decanter to shine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Light ruby with a tinged fading color with medium body. Likeable nose was violet and cherry followed by a balanced but not exceptional mid plate and finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
2/19/2022 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 93 Points
Medium-deep ruby red in color with a slight hint of clearing at the edges. Full, forward, & fragrant nose of ripe fruit aromas of cherries, raspberries & strawberries with overtones of earthy & floral notes, loam, sandalwood, tea, exotic spices, minerals, truffles, leather, smoky & a slight hint of rusty iron notes in the background. Medium bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, ripe red fruit flavors of cherries, mulberries & cranberries with herbs, spices, mushrooms & minerals. Long lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present & at 26 years of age, it still has the potential to continue aging longer although any further development may be minimal. A wonderful, aged Burg!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/1/2021 - The Vines That Bind wrote: flawed
[Magnum] Ultimately I believe this was corked, although at the beginning it had a beautiful nose of pure red fruit and detailed spice. I’ve never had a bottle start so promising and then shut down completely. The sort of cork that doesn’t obviously smell like cellar floor or cardboard or anything, but rather the variety where the palate is just muted / stunted. My 'best' contribution to the dinner tonight so extraordinarily disappointing...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (2)
5/5/2020 - fcxj wrote: 88 Points
Unstemmed, cherries aromatics. Evolves slightly burned. Disappointing bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (2)
10/13/2016 - justburg wrote: 92 Points
1996 Burg lunch at Odette. Served alongside the Dujac E 1996. Quite pale ruby red, touch of bricking at the rim. This had the signature exotic and wild Engel nose. Arabic spice, leather, sandalwood, wild strawberries, pomegranate, cherries, truffle, cigar box and barnyard. On the nose alone, this was truly sensational. Palate was slightly lean, with the acidity being slightly overwhelming. There was a good amount of red fruit, incense, spice, truffle, orange peel, cigar box and mocha. The wine put on more weight and developed various secondary characteristics with extended time, and I'm inclined to think this could be slightly better with another 5-10 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/6/2015 - William Kelley wrote:
The 1996 Engel wines all have noticeable volatile acidity, and the domaine seems to have had an especially bad batch of corks in this vintage, so caveat emptor, but the wine opens up in the glass to reveal a nice nose of plums, spice, blood orange and leather, without every quite losing the rusty pipe bloodiness it showed on opening. On the palate the wine has considerable authority and volume, with nice bright acids, but it's ultimately disjointed. I found it really hard to get a read on this wine, and despite the vintage's good reputation I would go for almost any other if given the choice.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)
3/28/2015 - ricknat1 wrote: 94 Points
Very fruit forward, well balanced and overall delicious. the best of the 96s we tasted
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/22/2015 - kingkanu wrote: 92 Points
2 bottles. The first was glorious, rich spicy fruit with some lovely smokey development, balanced and long. The 2nd was borderline corked, not enough to top the bottle, but was lacking the depth of flavour and far more about the acidity rather than the fruit, the 1st bottle was the scored wine and could last many more years
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/17/2013 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
Carmine red. Expressive and complex bouquet with barnyard, smoke, minerals and forest floor. Some spiciness as well. On the palate juicy, with good minerals, some tea, leather and tobacco. Good acidity and bitterness. Great length. Ready now and the next few years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/19/2012 - Vinotas wrote:
I just got home from my honeymoon, so I went 8+ days sans Burgundy... yet it was still Heaven (there was lots of Champagne after all). That said, this 1996 Rene Engel Grands Echezeaux was a welcome reminder of why I love Burgundy. Sous-bois, crisp cherries, and a velvety mouthfeel that hid an iron fist of acidity and a long long long finish. To quote George Costanza, if it was socially acceptable I'd wrap myself up in this. Man, that wine felt great on the palate, I never wanted it to end. But, after a few hours in the bottle-shaped decanter, it started slipping a bit. I'd say drink up within the next 2-4 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/18/2012 - B Quinn wrote: 90 Points
Drinking very well. Elegant, opened up whilst drunk, but ready to drink now and over the next 3 to 4 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/4/2011 - burgburgburg wrote: 90 Points
the bottle needs at least 2-3 hour of bottle decant to open up; elegant and layered bouquet; fairly complex palate; dissolved tannin
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/1/2011 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Compared to the "normal" Echezeaux, this wine is darker in color, more complex and more youthful. Rustic and earthy impressions and minerals in the bouquet and on the palate. There is firm bitterness and fleshy tannin with still a firm bite. Long finish. Great wine still in The first half of its maturity stage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2010 - Paulsc wrote: 93 Points
Bright and glowing in the glass, pale red, no bricking. Bottle 735 of 1500 according to the label. 13.5% alcohol. Black cherry and sous-bois nose. Tastes like a young wine, absolutely not over the hill and seems to be developing still. Quite an acid bite and grainy but fine tannins, best with food at the moment. Very long and developed nicely until the last glass, very easy to drink a whole bottle of this, each taste reveals a bit more. Delicious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/20/2010 - fclarity wrote: 92 Points
Philippe pulled this one out blind. Given its ruby red center and clearish rims, I thought it would be an '89 or a '90 vintage. The high intensity nose was impressive from the get-go featuring sour cherries, sandlewood, figs, along with some floral scents.
In the mouth the wine was light and lively with flavors that reiterated the nose. At first the wine was a bit short but its length and depth improved after about 2 hours of air. While this was easily drinkable now, my guess is that it would gain a bit of complexity in the mouth with another 5 to 10 years of age. If that proves true, it could also pick up another rating point or two.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/18/2010 - Rani wrote: 91 Points
Fully mature. A cloudy, bloody red hue. Notes of strawberries, sour cherries, rust and earth. Very elegant, good finish and dry tannins. I don't see this improving, so drink up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/25/2009 - Vinotas wrote:
Opened 2 hours before dinner to check, it had some nice earthy, mushroomy sweet cherries on the nose but almost nothing on the palate. However, there was a hint of something subdued, and so I decided to let this sit on the AC and hang around while I prepared dinner.
Two hours later, wow, vive la difference!
As dinner was plated, I poured this and began sniffing away... Lovely flowery aromas of earthy, almost muddy and mushroomy sweet bing cherries, with hints of spices and a profound depth that made me swoon, with the beginnings of that gorgeous funk that older Burgundy gets. The mouthfeel was almost velvety, but with a slightly fuzzy precision that was still delicious in its own imperfect way, with more of the same notes as the nose. And what a long, lovely finish, leaving you with that haunting impression of its presence that good Burgundy does.
I was surprised at how open this was (relatively speaking), considering many of the 1996s I've had previously from other producers were still pretty tight. This was very nice, though it did need about 2 hours of airtime and then a quick decanting into a bottle-shaped decanter to shine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/21/2009 - gsquireh wrote: 90 Points
Fresher than the last bottle with raspberry and cherry fruit and spice.Medium bodied with pleasant finish and fading red color.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/8/2009 - gsquireh wrote: 90 Points
Light ruby with a tinged fading color with medium body. Likeable nose was violet and cherry followed by a balanced but not exceptional mid plate and finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/12/2006 - burningstarIV wrote: 94 Points
Earth driven, with a long life ahead of it. 50+4+13+18+9=94
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment