Wonderfully pure and ripe white flower fruit aromas combine with hints of ripe exotic fruit and are framed by a deft touch of oak that merge seamlessly into racy intense superbly dense flavors that display a good deal more minerality than usual and the incredibly long finish has the grip of a red. While this is a very rich wine it is perhaps a bit less opulent than usual and I actually quite like the sense of linearity and racy finishing acidity. In this sense the wine quite reminds me of the incredible '96. This is still quite young but this is not quite as backward as some vintages and I suspect that another 5 years in the cellar will see this at or close to its peak. Consistent notes.

The Domaine de la Romanee-Conti's policy of late harvests for their Montrachet leads to forward expressive wines with boisterously flavorful personalities. The 2001 was picked at 14% natural potential alcohol and reveals some hints of botrytis. Buttered toast hazelnuts and smoky spices are found in its aromatic profile. This plush intense wine admirably combines muscular power with elegance. Light to medium-bodied it is a fresh delineated spice-laden effort that is packed with pears and minerals. Drink it over the next 9-10 years. Concerning the 2001s de Villaine the Domaine de la Romanee-Conti's co-director stated that "it was not an easy year it was a real roller coaster for vignerons. The estate's vineyards like everyone in Burgundy had rot infestations so we did two harvests one for the best healthiest bunches and then another. Of course we meticulously sorted all the fruit as we always do." Those readers who are always looking for news concerning the next vintage will be interested to hear the following. Unlike almost all his colleagues who said that 2002 was going to be a spectacular vintage de Villaine informed me that it would "another irregular year."