Superb tension and balance, great notes of hazelnut and pears. Very long finish. An exemplary Champagne.

This was total swill, so overrated, don't buy it.

Just kidding. OK, where to begin analyzing this monumental labyrinth of a wine? To start, it's MASSIVE. There's just so much happening simultaneously, it's almost overwhelming, and it requires an enormous amount of concentration. The finish is so long that it makes a person giddy, you just can't believe how long you continue to taste this wine. There is the signature honey notes of Montrachet, every fruit and flower imaginable in at least some measure, and an occasional and almost imperceptible hint of mint.

The thing that really distinguishes this wine is the massive power is so precise. It's like a laser powerful enough to beam millions of miles into space. Most wines with this much material, with this much strength, are clunky or overwhelming -- especially in their youth. To have this power and precision together, and in youth, is such a rare animal.

Balance is wonderful thing in a wine, but this takes it to another level. By analogy, imagine that most wines are balancing two eggs on a scale -- this wine is balancing two elephants on a scale.

An extraordinary wine I was extremely privileged to taste.

Alluring Vosne spice bolts out of the glass from the first sniff of the first pour, this wine is ON. There's Ech and there's ECH, and this is the latter my friends. Hooah, the boy's alive! I smelled this for about 20 minutes before tasting, the palate was almost superfluous with such an enjoyable nose. Almost. This is a lovely wine, accessible, and I enjoyed it tremendously UNTIL I drank the '02 GE and RSV alongside it -- next to those, the finish on the Ech seemed wanting. On it's own, a delightful treat.

Softer and more approachable than the '02 Echezeaux, this wine also had greater length and more complexity. However, I must say that the difference in quality between the Echezeaux and the Grands was not nearly as dramatic as the gap in their respective reputations and prices. It was a step up, but not a dramatic step up. This is a very fine wine that is much more accessible than the '99 GE at this stage, however, it's also going to be very long lived; in other words, there's no rush here but if you're going to open one now, definitely '02 rather than '99 at present.

This wine provoked a very definitive image as I sipped it: the scene from American Beauty with the gorgeous young woman being showered in rose petals. In other words, Wine Of The Flight. Big Time. Ultra soft and accessible, with tremendous length and elegance. As the image suggests, there is an abundance of roses coming forward from this wine, but rather than the dried rose petals that one often gets from Vosne wines, there's a freshness, a youthful energy that is remarkable. After an hour, I started to get some notes of hoisin in addition to the melange of fruits and spices that emerged from the get-go. This had everyone shaking their heads in amazement and delight. HIGHLY recommended.

Regrettably, my last note was correct that this wine requires a lot of time. It's nowhere near ready to drink, a black inky well of Burgundian earth. The '02 GE which I drank alongside it was substantially more accessible. That said, this '99 is a superb wine. It has remarkable structure, that is gradually unfolding at a near glacial pace. Awesome purity. Highly recommended, for a day years in the future.

Seriously intense. Terrific floral notes, vanilla and spice, great length. Life is good.