Ripe apple and pear with faint berry hints. Very rich with toasted rye bread in the near background. I like this edition a lot more than the past few editions.

Served alongside the 1985. Both opened two hours before serving. Enticing floral start with sweet and savory spice, all just behind ripe and rich orchard fruit and lemon custard. Complex and layered with unfolding nuance, and both sweet and savory elements seemingly coming and going. Best when revisited and finished three hours after first poured.

Served alongside the 1986. Both opened two hours before serving. Apple, quince paste, honeycomb and butterscotch with good richness, still retaining enough brightness and energy. This got a little musty after an hour in glass, but freshened up when finished another hour+ later.

Served alongside the 2008. Both opened two hours before serving. Enticing aromas with ripe apple and pear with floral and mint notes. Similar flavors, just somewhat riper and less nuanced for now. Impressive concentration with very good length.

Served alongside the 2009. Both opened two hours before serving. I liked this much more when first served, with complex orchard fruit, spice, wintergreen and floral notes supplemented with earth hints. Those earth notes started emerging more notably with more time in glass. Great start, very good to finish, but not the most fresh bottle I've ever had.

Open 4 hours before serving. Just nothing forthcoming at first, or even a few hours later. Completely inconsistent with other bottles, none of which have ever been this inaccessible or uninteresting.

Open 4 hours before serving. Easy to be enamored with this wine. So much ripe red cherry and berry along with some black fruit hints, but really highlighted by the sweet and savory spice. So easy to enjoy, but I frankly found it much more "Leroy" than "Clos de la Roche," but that isn't necessarily a bad thing given how great Leroy can be.

Open 4 hours before serving. Started out all black fruit and roasted meat that was nearly brooding, but this quickly opened up and softened. Black cherry and berry were omnipresent, but more earth and savory spice emerged, and the textures gradually softened. Elegant and nearly silky when finished an hour after served.

In DRC 1999 horizontal. Opened 4 hours before serving. This took at least 30 minutes in glass to open up, with red cherry and berry coming through first, then allspice, thyme and nutmeg gradually emerging from there. This kept unfolding and improving. Best I can ever recall for this wine, which is just entering its peak drinking window, and I expect will be better in 5 years and even better yet in 10.

In DRC 1999 horizontal. Opened 4 hours before serving. Red and black cherry throughout with good earth notes that are more pronounced on finish. Good depth. Clearly in its peak drinking window.

In DRC 1999 horizontal. Opened 4 hours before serving. Sweet spice to start, with just improving. Subdued red cherry and berry to start as well, but fruit also got more powerful and complex with air. Stunning when finished. First time I recall having this wine. Great now, with upside. 97 points tonight, 98 point potential.

In DRC 1999 horizontal. Opened 4 hours before serving. There is so much here, but it was clearly closed and faintly hinting at its potential when first served. Gradually and begrudgingly, aromas and rich flavors emerged, elegantly to start, then more powerful when finished a few hours later. 95 point wine when finished, but this needs more time and certainly has 97-98+ point potential with more air and/or cellar time.