1999 La Tâche, Grand Cru, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Burgundy

Very deep blackish ruby – much deeper than most red burgundies. Actually overnight dregs in an open bottle did not hold up in terms of freshness as well as those of the Mugnier Amoureuses 2001 tasted alongside. Very massive wine that's still brooding and probably needs a few more years to show its best but it's certainly impressive!  Great throat warming stuff with real structure and vibrato fruit in the middle. Not to be ignored!Drink 2015 - 2035jancis_robinson_mw MW, jancis_robinson_mw.com (June 2012)

Tasted at the La Tâche vertical at The Square. Having not tasted the La Tâche 1999 since it had been bottled, I was intrigued to see how it was developing. Monumentally, is the correct answer. First and foremost this is a seriously long-term La Tâche that is maturing at a glacial pace. Indeed, I left most in my glass and waited for it to open. An hour later and it was firing on all cylinders. It is blessed with an incredibly intense, powerful nose that loses its broodiness with aeration and eventually unveils a crystalline set of mineral-soaked aromatics that sport a decadent, almost exotic floral note–wilted violets and potpourri. The palate has a quite astonishing structure, but it is more the symmetry that makes this one of the greatest vintages of recent years. It unfolds with daring passion to reveal layers of plush but focused dark plum and cassis fruit that just seem to flow and flow on the never-ending finish. It is a multifaceted, multidimensional masterpiece that really needs another decade in bottle.Drink 2025 - 2060Neil Martin, Wine Advocate (April 2015)

Everything that I saw from cask made it into bottle intact and words remain inadequate to describe just how good this wine is as the '99 is a classic La Tâche in every respect with its incredibly pure, marvelously intense oriental spice box nose that merges seamlessly into big, rich and enveloping flavors of hoisin and pure pinot extract of indescribable complexity and length. The big tannins are completely wrapped in velvet and the finish simply does not quit. This is destined to become one of the all-time great vintages of La Tâche and even at 98 points, it's clear that I was too conservative and thus I am raising my score accordingly. Moreover, among the many bottles that I have been blessed to have tried, I have never had a bottle that was anything less than sensational. However, note that the '99 LT is going to be a long-distance runner so a strategy of cellar and forget is strongly advised, at least for the next decade or so. burghound_com - Issue#45 - Jan 2012