More evolved than the ageless 1999, the 1998 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru Cuvée Vieilles Vignes is approaching full maturity, wafting from the glass with a classy bouquet of dried strawberries, cassis, sweet forest floor, potpourri and cinnamon. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, satiny and expansive on the attack, with tangy acids and seemingly melted tannins that turn chalky and assert themselves on the tense, stony finish.