The 1999 Pommard 1er Cru Les Fremiers is showing brilliantly, wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet berries, woodsmoke, cassis and loamy soil, framed by a deft touch of oak. Medium to full-boded, lively and gourmand, with a fleshy core of notably youthful fruit, powdery tannins and succulent acids, it's seamless and complete, in its prime today.

Tastes a bit funky but has lovely fruit. Medium-bodied, with firmer tannic structure than many '99s, it shows horse stable, smoked bacon and ripe black fruit character that makes it interesting overall. Drink now through 2005. -PM