Appearance: Clear scarlet-red. Aroma: Ah, yes: the violets, the lift, the brightness. Very much a flower wine at this early stage: poised, fragrant, elegant, seamless and complete. The fruits are fine cherry and raspberry, but sketched with such style that they disdain to be named. After a while, it has a Maghreb turn: tangerines, even oranges. There is a creaminess, but not too much: that would hold the flowers back. Aromatically, it keeps opening and opening: a bottle to spend hours with. Flavour: In pure tape-measure terms, La Tâche and Richebourg are bigger.

But who dares take a tape measure to Romanée-Conti? This is the most taut, the most seamless: pure liquefaction of flowers and fruit. The tannins are a little lighter than those of Grands Échézeaux and Richebourg, but they are more gathered and, in conjuction with the fruits, convey a sense of creaminess. Other wines in the family may be spicier or more glycerous, but none can match this one as a motor of fruited perfume. It’s fresh to the final drop, and fresh afterwards, too, as that drop melts away into your body.