The fireworks continue with the 2019 Richebourg Grand Cru, a striking wine that unfurls in the glass with aromas of raspberries, blackberries and plums mingled with exotic spices, dark chocolate, orange rind and peonies. Full-bodied, rich and muscular, it's deep and broad-shouldered, its ample core of fruit framed by prodigious reserves of ripe, powdery tannin and lively girdling acids. Impeccably balanced and built for the long haul, it will demand—and amply reward—patience.

Richer and rounder than the Romanée-Saint-Vivant, Leroy's 2018 Richebourg Grand Cru bursts with aromas of wild berries, exotic spices, hoisin sauce, orange rind and rose petals. Full-bodied, multidimensional and enveloping, it's deep and layered, with velvety tannins and a sumptuous core of fruit. Long and perfumed, it's a head-turningly exotic Richebourg that's built for the ages. It was cropped at a mere 14 hectoliters per hectare.

Madame Bize-Leroy describes the 2017 Richebourg Grand Cru as "civilized", which I interpret to mean that this inherently supple, elegant vintage has tamed some of the climat's tendency to muscular power—an analysis with which I concur. Unwinding in the glass with complex aromas of cassis, dark berries, black truffles, rich soil tones and hints of rose petal and peony, the wine is full-bodied, deep and textural, with impressive concentration and rich but refined structuring tannins. The finish is long, sapid and perfumed. While I'm often inclined to give the domaine's Romanée-Saint-Vivant the edge over the Richebourg, the latter's elegance this year makes it more than usually difficult to pick favorites.

The extraordinary 2016 Richebourg Grand Cru soars from the glass with an irresistible bouquet of sweet dark fruits, baking chocolate, rose petals and exotic spices. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, ample and enveloping, with incredible depth and volume at the core. Velvety and textural on the attack, the wine's powdery tannins are cloaked in a gourmand core of fruit, yet the lavish, expansive finish is beautifully controlled and precise for all its drama. Only in a range as exalted as this could Leroy's 2016 Richebourg receive so parsimonious a score.

The 2015 Richebourg Grand Cru from Domaine Leroy is an extraordinary wine that captures all the lavishness and power of this great grand cru, soaring from the glass with a deep bouquet of ripe black fruits, exotic spice, licorice and smoked duck. On the palate, the wine is huge and multidimensional, with extraordinary concentration and mid-palate depth, vibrant and full of energy despite its imposing scale. Such is the intensity of its finish that neither swallowing nor expectoration have any immediate impact: it's as if the wine's still there. While this will never have the complexity or elegance of the Romanée-Saint-Vivant, it represents the essence of Richebourg.