Domaine de la Romanée-Conti

2010 Vin de l’Abbaye de Saint-Vivant Hautes-Cotes de Nuits Bourgogne. This medium-bodied wine offered notes of straw and lemongrass on the nose, somewhat restrained, coupled with crisp citrus, chalky minerality and fine acidity though clouded by suboptimal definition. Specially bottled for FICOFI. Tasted February 2016 at FICOFI’s D.R.C. Gala.

2011 Vin de l’Abbaye de Saint-Vivant Hautes-Cotes de Nuits Bourgogne. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti makes only three whites: a Montrachet Grand Cru, a Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru that’s only available for tasting within its cellars and this one which, of course, is not available on the open market. In spite of its Bourgogne classification, this white possesses great acidity, balance and depth, minerally yet restraint with excellent depth of fruit amidst some early complexity. Superb potential here. Specially bottled for FICOFI. Tasted November 2015.

2011 Vin de l’Abbaye de Saint-Vivant Hautes-Cotes de Nuits Bourgogne. The 2011 is a far better proposition, much more aromatic with an abundance of tropical fruits, rye, wheat and coconut, displaying excellent layering and acidity, eventually evolving towards a complex of lemon citrus with plenty of verve and vibrancy. Superb. Specially bottled for FICOFI. Tasted February 2016 at FICOFI’s D.R.C. Gala.

2011 Vin de l’Abbaye de Saint-Vivant Hautes-Cotes de Nuits Bourgogne. Luminous tones of distant citrus and mandarins. Medium-full. Exudes a cool relaxed charm with a hint of sweet enamel whilst remaining somewhat elusive in spite of some early secondary development, taking its time to flesh out with greater fullness and slick acidity against a growing chalky glow that overshadowed its fruit. Tasted December 2022.

2012 Vin de l’Abbaye de Saint-Vivant Hautes-Cotes de Nuits Bourgogne. Aromas of light morning dew, very clean feel on the palate, recalling white pepper and mint with gentle lean crystalline minerals, finishing with ferrous elements but on the whole rather shy and reserved. Specially bottled for FICOFI. Tasted December 2017 at FICOFI’s Le Palais des Grands Crus in Paris.

2013 Vin de l’Abbaye de Saint-Vivant Hautes-Cotes de Nuits Bourgogne. Nutty characters on the nose. Good concentration with a tight clean feel amid light dry textures, showing some early complexity but its depth and layering is most impressive, exuding notes of exotic tropical fruit and early cinnamon with a touch of bitter lemon, turning more intense and focused with a distilled essence over time. Better than the 2010 and 2011, in my opinion. Excellent. Specially bottled for FICOFI. Tasted February 2018 at FICOFI’s D.R.C. Gala.

2014 Vin de l’Abbaye de Saint-Vivant Hautes de Nuits Bourgogne. Gentle white flowers proliferate with overtones of wild berries and nutmeg, displaying excellent depth, freshness and detail, its delicate balance of white fruits and stony minerals belie the tremendous zest and energy on the palate that build up to lovely climax towards the finish. Superb. Specially bottled for FICOFI. Tasted May 2018 in Hong Kong.

2004 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru. Luminous golden hue, proffering a recessed chalkiness with an unusual note of fluoride that lead to a placid expanse of cool tones on the palate. Surprisingly soft, medium weight, fleshing out with ripe tones of yellow fruit before giving way to a full classic Puligny chalkiness underpinned by an unique salinity. Tasted January 2022 in Singapore.

2005 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru. Effusive bouquet of white flowers, caramelized honey and  melons with a quiet intensity, displaying harmonious citrus and subtle minerality on the palate with fine delicacy, acidity and persistence with just a ferrous trace. Tasted September 2015 at the domaine itself.

2003 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet Grand Cru. Generous bloom of white flowers with lighter tonal textures on the nose though the palate is well layered with nutmeg, white fruits and delicate light citrus, displaying great definition and transparency, perhaps just a tad short which is commonly noted in the wines of this searing hot vintage. Tasted May 2018 at a FICOFI Gala in Hong Kong.

2005 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet Grand Cru. Glistening with a luminous luscious gold, this wine exuded a glowing bouquet of aged crème de la crème with some secondary nuances that recalled yellow melons and peaches. Superbly proportioned, striking a perfect balance between the fruit, complex minerals and understated acidity. Highly harmonious and seamlessly layered, not at all showy, eventually displaying a dash of burnt cider at the side with overtones of coconut, turning a little stern at the finish, maintaining its ethereal poise and elegance throughout. Not an exuberant or characterful Montrachet like Drouhin’s Marquis de Laguiche, but more placid like that of Baron Thenard. Tasted September 2016 at Etxebarri, Spain.

2007 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet Grand Cru. Luminous glow of malt and rye, displaying gentle depth of white fruits with a mild intensity shrouded within traces of mint and white flowers. Almost ethereal. Very well-integrated and proportioned. Very lovely throughout its superb length. Impeccable pedigree. Tasted May 2018 in Hong Kong.

2002 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Vosne-Romanée 1er Cuvée Duvault-Blochet. A bit of a misnomer here, for this wine is actually made from young vines from various plots of grand cru, declassified as premier cru instead. Opaque evolved red, exuding an enticing fragrance of rose petals and red fruits with a distinct core of tangerines that is something of a D.R.C. signature. Medium-bodied. Soft, fleshy and highly supple with a certain sur-maturite that seems to suggest an older wine. Very seamlessly integrated with good concentration and intensity of fruit, finishing well. Tasted September 2020.

2008 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Vosne-Romanée 1er Cuvée Duvault-Blochet. Evolved in colour, exuding an effusive easy charm of red cherries and tangerines on both nose and palate, enhanced by smooth silky tannins and sublime acidity with lovely depth and feminine suppleness, gaining further weight and gentle intensity as it took on a subtle gunmetal minerality over time. Not the usual brooding dark intensity of Vosne-Romanée. Excellent. Tasted November 2018.

2009 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Vosne-Romanée 1er Cuvée Duvault-Blochet. Gentle aromas of raspberries and dark cherries, highly perfumed, led to an open medium-full wine of great balance, structured with very fine acidity and supple tannins that finished with a persistent glow that was the equal of its wonderful bouquet. Simply outstanding. Tasted February 2016 at FICOFI’s D.R.C. Gala.

2009 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Corton Grand Cru. Glorious ruby, exuding rosy characters with a tinge of deeper red and dark currants. Full, fleshy and crisp, structured with masculine intensity, finishing on a long minty note. Excellent. Tasted May 2018 in Hong Kong.

2010 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Corton Grand Cru. The bouquet here is absolutely lovely, an explosion of bright red fruits and red cherries, fresh and highly perfumed, displaying fine acidity and lovely balance, distinctly feminine with an added tone of tangerine on the palate that enhanced the sense of delicacy though it finished with a graphite trace that stole a bit of its feminine glow. This is Corton at its best. Tasted February 2016 at FICOFI’s D.R.C. Gala.

1990 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Échézeaux Grand Cru. Evolved ruby, proffering an effusive perfumed fragrance of red fruits and rose petals tinged with haw that is simply quite beguiling. The fully mature palate boasts refined acidity that is still remarkably fresh, infused with lithe supple tangerines – the unmistakable hallmark of D.R.C. – that finished with superb glowing persistence. Excellent. Tasted March 2021.

1995 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Échézeaux Grand Cru. Highly aromatic, suggesting rose petals, dark cherries, camphor and raspberries of undoubted power and fragrance. It turned out to be surprising mellow and open on the palate, ample in soft red fruits with overtones of tangerines supported by saline minerals, all held in a lovely balance with understated acidity, complemented by an eventual note of ash as it settled down to a gentle finish. Tasted April 2016.

1996 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Échézeaux Grand Cru. Dull opaque purple, proffering distinct elements of tangerines with a hint of lime on the nose and its core. Medium-bodied. Open and utterly seamless at this stage with recessed red fruits and plums, quite feminine, still retaining good acidity and tension but a tad short. Clearly at full maturity and will not improve further. Tasted August 2017.

2003 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Échézeaux Grand Cru. Clear ruby, exuding a powerful floral fragrance amid aromas of red fruits and sweet dark berries. On the palate, red plums and tangerine dominate with a ferric trace, excellent in concentration and acidity but very controlled, producing great mouthfeel. Well balanced but still rather tight and not quite settled. Needs time. Tasted September 2015 at the domaine itself.

2005 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Échézeaux Grand Cru. Lovely crimson, misleadingly more evolved in appearance, proffering a superb lift of delicious red fruits tinged with haw and cedar. Softly contoured with subtle depth and definition beneath its veneer of sleek acidity and tension, finishing with fine linearity and understated complexity. Tasted October 2023.

2009 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Échézeaux Grand Cru. There is some early evolution of colour here with enticing aromas of ripe raspberries, cherries and dark roses amidst tobacco snuff and a hint of ember. Openly expansive, showing superb concentration and intensity of fruit with seamless integration of rich earthy minerals and sublime acidity, culminating in a superb lengthy glow. Tasted February 2018 at FICOFI’s D.R.C. Gala.

2010 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Échezeaux Grand Cru. Well-defined notes of orange peel and lime citrus dominate on the nose, matching very well with swathes of ripe blueberries and raspberries on the palate where the wine is still tight and primal, rising to a mild tannic spine before easing towards a lengthy finish, eventually smoothening out over time. Masculine with considerable power, but needs time to unfold. Tasted February 2016 at FICOFI’s D.R.C. Gala.

2014 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Échézeaux Grand Cru. Good colour. Powerful bouquet of cherries, raspberries, red fruits and roses. Open on the palate, beautifully ripe and supple. Gently layered with excellent refinement on a charcoal floor amid traces of earth, structured with highly refined understated tannins. Finished well with fine linearity. Excellent. Tasted January 2020.

1995 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands Échézeaux Grand Cru. Evolved pinot tint. Effusive bouquet of haw and fresh cherries, absolutely delicious. Superbly supple, displaying a deep core of tangerines amid overtones of smoked meat laced with lively acidity. Utterly seamless, settling down fine linearity, length and persistence. Excellent. Tasted December 2021.

2002 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands Échézeaux Grand Cru. Dusty but clear red. Delectable red fruits, powerfully intense and delicious, absolutely stunning right from the first whiff. Deeply layered with great concentration of plums, haw and camphor, unbelievably rich with slick luxurious textures that produced superb mouthfeel, displaying fabulous precision and focus as it traipsed to a very long lingering minty finish. Perfectly balanced without sacrificing power or elegance. This is a great, great wine. Tasted September 2009.

2010 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands Échézeaux Grand Cru. Generous bouquet of raspberries and dark cherries with overtones of incense and smoldering ember, displaying remarkable poise and balance. Very well integrated. Highly elegant. Far more open and accessible than Échezeaux of the same vintage in spite of the fuller tone. Tasted February 2016 at FICOFI’s D.R.C. Gala.

1979 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru. Well-evolved in colour with lifted tones of aged plums and red fruits, still imbued with so much fruit and acidity, rounded and gentle, displaying remarkable fullness and linearity, highly graceful, suggesting that it still has a long life ahead in spite of its full maturity. Quite superb. Tasted December 2017 at FICOFI’s Le Palais des Grands Crus in Paris.

1995 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru. Poured from magnum. Bright red fruits and raspberries dominate on the nose with a feminine quality, rounded with a gentle concentration of classic pinot fruit amidst traces of earth, red plums and cinnamon. Not profoundly deep but well-proportioned with growing intensity, utterly seamless, finishing with sweet subdued tannins and overtones of camphor. Tasted March 2017. D.R.C. had leased 5-ha of R.S.V. from the Marey-Monge family since 1966 before buying over entirely in 1988.

1996 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru. Stronger hue of dull purple with that distinct note of well-defined tangerines amidst red fruits that appears to be the signature tone of the domaine, displaying more depth and focus in its expression of delicious blackberries and redcurrants, slightly distant though seamlessly integrated between its fruit, acidity and smooth recessed tannins. Distinctly feminine. Caught at full maturity and will not improve further. Tasted August 2017.

1996 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru. Classic pinot tint, proffering a delicious lift of red fruits and cherries that exert a chamfered intensity with traces of saline minerals on the medium palate, producing excellent mouthfeel. Distinctly masculine, carrying a little more verve within its layered folds. Beautifully elegant. Tasted August 2023.

1999 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru. Still darkly coloured. Somewhat restrained initially, proffering just enamel before snapping into focus with a sharp lift of dark currants, raspberries and mulberries, opening up further on the palate with a deep core of supple tangerines (always a hallmark of this estate) amid an even spread of wild berries, maintaining an overall darkish demeanour. Still imbued with excellent concentration and lively acidity, perhaps even yet to really hit its peak – a testimony to the longevity of this stellar vintage. Tasted January 2020.

2004 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru. Notes of tangerines, lime and citrus are discernible amidst rose petals and red fruits with traces of incense. Highly supple with an attractive intensity coupled with a dry tone of mushrooms and ash. Wonderfully balanced but just a tad short. Tasted February 2016 at FICOFI’s D.R.C. Gala.

2009 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru. Showing some evolution of colour, this wine exudes a mild earthy pungency amid overtones of ripe dark fruit. Open, fleshy and seamlessly layered, rather subtly nuanced. Somewhat reserved and controlled at this stage. Best to lay down. Tasted February 2018 at FICOFI’s D.R.C. Gala.

2009 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru. Lovely tint, yielding a beautifully defined bouquet of distilled red fruits, rose petals and camphor, highly perfumed and generous in proportion. Structured with excellent depth, detail and understated acidity, displaying excellent linearity though not much of tangerines at the core. Excellent. Tasted May 2018 in Hong Kong.

2009 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru. Evolved red with a crimson rim. Effusive bouquet of haw, red fruits and mulberries, endowed with copious dark berries and currants that produce refined power and depth in equal measure, laced with traces of medicinal powder. Somewhat darkish for Romanée-St-Vivant, even for D.R.C., though its impeccable breed and pedigree is obvious through its seamless velvety verve and great cohesion, eventually developing this estate’s characteristic note of kumquat. Tasted December 2023.

2014 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru. Classic pinot tint, proffering a well-defined bouquet of raspberries and mandarins with a tint of paraffin. Medium-full. Supple and well-structured with great refinement, developing further complexity with effusive powdery medicinal overtones that teased with gloved power and lithe intensity. Tasted October 2023.

1995 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg Grand Cru. Very pure pinot tone on the nose with an immediate suggestion of power, finesse and elegance amidst a wonderful bouquet of cherries, redcurrant and raspberries at just the right level of ripeness, possessing a broad sweep across the palate, slightly salty in the middle with plenty of depth, leading to a highly complex finish, maintaining great balance and poise effortlessly.  It gained more power with each pour, exuding wild exuberance, yet never out of control at any time. Tasted July 2010.

1997 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg Grand Cru. Light red, exuding a delicate floral nose suggesting a lighter wine. Good entry on the medium-bodied palate but lacking in richness while the expected complexity failed to materialise. The fruit, clearly, was drying out, suggesting the wine was already over the hill. Disappointing. Tasted July 2009.

2000 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg Grand Cru. This wine opens with lifted aromas of sweet raspberries, highly perfumed, equally exciting on the palate where, again, overtones of tangerines contributed to a certain sense of lightness enhanced by velvety tones and lithe supple tannins, displaying great persistence and balance, turning slightly austere towards the end of dinner. May be at its drinking peak. Tasted February 2016 at FICOFI’s D.R.C. Gala.

2012 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg Grand Cru. Glorious deep ruby with an abundance of rose petals and red cherries, producing a very lovely fragrance with further notes of camphor and incense on the palate where its purity of fruit and balance were quite exemplary, effortlessly poised with grace and concealed power. Tasted September 2016 at Etxebarri, Spain.

1990 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche Grand Cru. As expected of this pedigree and vintage, this great monopole, displaying a well-evolved vermillion, impressed at once with its stunningly deep bouquet of kumquat, strawberries, glycerin and tangerines amid darker currants, open with cool ripeness and tremendous energy that transcended the palate with great suppleness and effortless grace, layered with sublime acidity and fabulous depth as it stretched out with supreme power, elegance and length. Truly a complete wine. Outstanding. Tasted March 2019.

1990 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche Grand Cru. Displaying an evolved brownish red, this wine opens with a wonderful lift of delicate red fruits amid overtones of haw and rose petals, still imbued with sublime acidity and superb concentration of fruit that teased the palate with supple fleeting intensity, fleshing out with tremendous agility and freshness, eventually developing the classic D.R.C. signature of deep tangerines tinged with spice and orangey hues whilst maintaining its refined controlled exuberance throughout the evening. Truly a complete wine. Tasted September 2020.

1992 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche Grand Cru. Poured from methuselah. Well-evolved in appearance, exuding complex characters with great lift, more marked in cinnamon and cedar in addition to aged plums and tangerines, revealing great detail, acidity and tension, finishing with good length. Tasted December 2017 at FICOFI’s Le Palais des Grands Crus in Paris.

1992 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche Grand Cru. Poured from methuselah. Clearly evolved but still showing good colour with a core of sexy tangerines amidst ripe raspberries, dark cherries, wild berries and dark currants that led to a highly detailed palate etched with very fine tannins, swathed in superb concentration and intensity of fruit. Highly sensuous and exuberant with plenty of verve, becoming utterly seamless by the end of dinner. Far better than the one tasted above. Still has the legs to carry on for many more years. Outstanding. Tasted February 2018 at FICOFI’s D.R.C. Gala.

1996 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche Grand Cru. Well-evolved in colour, this wine exudes a powerful glow of aged red fruits, plums and currants with a deep core of tangerines amidst great swathes of saline minerals, displaying excellent concentration of fruit on the palate, brimming with gentle exuberance while its seamless acidity imparted great suppleness and freshness to its understated structure, finishing with minty overtones. Wonderful, and will hold for many more years. Tasted February 2018.

1997 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche Grand Cru. Mature pinot tint, proffering a distinct note of red capsicum on the nose that overshadowed the fruit. The palate is imbued with a great lift of fruit, still wonderfully ripe and fresh, imparting supple intensity amid darkish overtones. Very seamlessly integrated, just missing the sheer opulence and layered decadence of the best years. Tasted July 2023.

2000 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche Grand Cru. This great monopole opens with generous aromas of rose petals and camphor coupled with a mild earthy pungency and citrus character amidst ample red fruits that created a sense of lightness and wonderful tension, displaying great acidity, presence, balance and complexity. Highly poised with controlled power, never imposing, becoming even more lifted over time without fading off. Outstanding. Tasted February 2016 at FICOFI’s D.R.C. Gala.

2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche Grand Cru. Great colour. This famous monopole is absolutely mesmerising on the nose, generously endowed with gorgeous red fruits and currants that fill the palate with fine density and concentration, imbued with refined acidity and structured presence that may still yield further detail had it been aired longer, holding sway with delicious verve though I thought it began to recede a little towards midnight. Quite a complete wine. Outstanding. Tasted November 2019.

2014 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche Grand Cru. Good colour. Rather restrained on the nose. The attention is clearly centered on the palate, boasting a controlled verve of intense mandarins and kumquat that offer tremendous inner detail with superb clarity of its layers of fruit, refined tannins and sublime acidity even though they are seamlessly integral. The nose came through much later, an effusive beguiling complex of perfumed characters that added further dimension to its length and finish. As always, La Tâche is truly a complete wine. Tasted October 2023.

2019 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche Grand Cru. This is the youngest bottle of D.R.C. I’ve had and it is surprisingly accessible even at this infantile stage. Deep purple at its core, this wine exudes deep sweet rosy hues that reflect the wonderful depth of glorious dark fruits and currants at its core. Instead of a tannic monster, the 2019 La Tâche is surprisingly open with supple intensity, just a little tight but it fleshed out convincingly with subtle layers of cool ripe fruit that fan out with lovely dimension, immaculately proportioned and balanced. This is a complete wine in the making. Tasted July 2022.

1990 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti Grand Cru. This wine surprised many with its Zen-like absolute refinement and sophistication. Opening with a deep gentle glow of complex fruits and tertiary nuances recalling aged raspberries and dark cherries with a distinct orangey core, it is still imbued with excellent concentration and layering of fruit that yielded fine detail and depth, utterly elegant and seamless with plenty of finesse, reserving its best for the finish as plush velvety textures offered a bed of exciting sexy tannins amidst understated acidity. I must say this 1990 Romanée-Conti has been caught right at its absolute peak and will hold for many more years. Thoroughly outstanding! Tasted February 2018 at FICOFI’s D.R.C. Gala.

2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti Grand Cru. Displaying an evolved crimson, this flagship monopole exuded a delicate bouquet of floral fragrance that was utterly perfumed and absolutely feminine, best appreciated if the wine is served in a huge Baccarat Romanée-Conti crystal glass (which a Japanese guest at my table had specially brought). Again, there is that semblance on the palate where citrus and orange peel integrate seamlessly with dark cherries and raspberries, quietly intense with subtle concentration, displaying great definition between layering of fruit and the mineral bed that imparted a further sense of delicacy and poise. Supremely balanced, perhaps even aloof almost to the point of being stern but brightening up over time, lingering long after its finish. Outstanding. Tasted February 2016 at FICOFI’s D.R.C. Gala.