The Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru 1999 has a quite exuberant bouquet that is very floral, like somebody shoving a bouquet of freshly picked violets under your nostrils. Looking further, one finds shaved black truffles and blackcurrant pastilles, aromatics that gain confidence and chutzpah with time. The palate is medium-bodied with black cherries and hints of tobacco. This is firm and quite rigid like many 1999s, impressive more than giving at the moment, a Bonnes-Mares that clearly requires another decade in bottle to show what it is capable of.

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At this point the '99 Bonnes Mares still closely resembles the same wine in 750 ml format (see the review herein). A brooding if not inexpressive nose features notes of earth, soft spice, dark and notably ripe dark berry fruit. There is outstanding concentration to the big-bodied firm, reserved, overtly powerful flavors that are underpinned by a still very solid wall of tannins on the sappy and somewhat austere finish that delivers outstanding length. This remains relatively closed and a wine that is clearly still on the way up and in this format I wouldn't touch a bottle for at least another decade and 12 to 15 years would be better.

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