Vinous (95)

The 2020 Richebourg Grand Cru was picked on 23 and 24 August, the first fruit to be picked. Yields are 31.7hL/ha. It has a very perfumed bouquet, with more intensity than the Romanée-Saint-Vivant, but I wonder whether it matches it for complexity? There is a lovely background ember scent with Earl Grey loitering in the wings. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent tannins, slightly confit on the entry (more so than the RSV), building towards a very convincing finish that possibly doesn’t fully deliver the precision of the previous vintage. This is forthright, but personally, I would like more intellect to develop, a facet perhaps it is hiding up its sleeve. 992 cases produced. Tasted at Corney & Barrow’s annual in bottle tasting in London.

Vinous (95)

The 2020 Richebourg Grand Cru was picked on 23 and 24 August, the first fruit to be picked. Yields are 31.7hL/ha. It has a very perfumed bouquet, with more intensity than the Romanée-Saint-Vivant, but I wonder whether it matches it for complexity? There is a lovely background ember scent with Earl Grey loitering in the wings. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent tannins, slightly confit on the entry (more so than the RSV), building towards a very convincing finish that possibly doesn’t fully deliver the precision of the previous vintage. This is forthright, but personally, I would like more intellect to develop, a facet perhaps it is hiding up its sleeve. 992 cases produced. Tasted at Corney & Barrow’s annual in bottle tasting in London.

Vinous (95)

The 2020 Richebourg Grand Cru was picked on 23 and 24 August, the first fruit to be picked. Yields are 31.7hL/ha. It has a very perfumed bouquet, with more intensity than the Romanée-Saint-Vivant, but I wonder whether it matches it for complexity? There is a lovely background ember scent with Earl Grey loitering in the wings. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent tannins, slightly confit on the entry (more so than the RSV), building towards a very convincing finish that possibly doesn’t fully deliver the precision of the previous vintage. This is forthright, but personally, I would like more intellect to develop, a facet perhaps it is hiding up its sleeve. 992 cases produced. Tasted at Corney & Barrow’s annual in bottle tasting in London.

Vinous (95)

The 2020 Richebourg Grand Cru was picked on 23 and 24 August, the first fruit to be picked. Yields are 31.7hL/ha. It has a very perfumed bouquet, with more intensity than the Romanée-Saint-Vivant, but I wonder whether it matches it for complexity? There is a lovely background ember scent with Earl Grey loitering in the wings. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent tannins, slightly confit on the entry (more so than the RSV), building towards a very convincing finish that possibly doesn’t fully deliver the precision of the previous vintage. This is forthright, but personally, I would like more intellect to develop, a facet perhaps it is hiding up its sleeve. 992 cases produced. Tasted at Corney & Barrow’s annual in bottle tasting in London.

Wine Advocate (98)

The 1990 Romanee-Conti should ultimately be the most compelling and complex of the DRC wines. Normally it possesses a lighter color than either La Tache or Richebourg, but in 1990 it boasts a surprisingly saturated color that is the equal of La Tache and Richebourg. The nose offers up sweet, clove, cinnamon, and blackberry aromas intermingled with toasty, smoky new oak. Lavishly rich and full-bodied, with abundant tannins, this profound, surprisingly large-scaled, tannic wine boasts more muscle than usual. Let's hope that the billionaires that buy it have as much taste as money. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2025 .

Vinous (94)

The 1993 Romanée-Conti Grand Cru was picked on September 27 at just 14.87hl/ha. It is certainly a bit funky at first with suggestions of TCA. Instinct tells me it just needs time to breathe and sure enough, after two hours it is quite a beautiful wine. It is blessed with an ethereal bouquet, beautifully defined yet reserved compared to other vintages. Scents of raspberry preserve, damp undergrowth (wet moss) with subtle hints of fresh tobacco and cedar all combined so effortlessly. The palate is extremely well balanced with sublime tannins, maybe a little foursquare yet precise on the finish. This is drinking so well now, but based on this bottle, do not be afraid to decant. A very capable Romanée-Conti, though I might have expected more given how this vintage has blossomed in recent years. 3,600 bottles produced. Tasted at the Romanée-Conti dinner at the Connaught Hotel.

Wine Advocate (93)

On January 17, 1997, a Belgian wine merchant held a comprehensive tasting of virtually every Montrachet at the Crillon Hotel in Paris. In addition to myself, Pierre Rovani was the only other American in attendance. The group was evenly split between members of the Belgian/French wine trade and private consumers. I was permitted to insert several top California Chardonnays in the tasting as "ringers." I provided the Peter Michael Chardonnay Pointe Rouge and the 1992 Mount Eden Estate Chardonnay. The tasting was impeccably organized, with the wines served blind in multiple flights. The results, although not unbelievable to me, were shocking to the group of serious Belgian and French wine tasters. Two of the French tasters were well-known winemakers. One of them who asked to remain anonymous proclaimed that in large part, the group of Montrachets was "a crime against France's patrimony." The group overwhelmingly rated the Peter Michael Chardonnay Pointe Rouge the top wine. Several tasters recognized that it was a California wine, but they still felt it was by far the most compelling, complex, and complete wine of the tasting. Second place went to another "ringer," the Domaine Valette Pouilly-Fuisse Le Clos de Monsieur Noly Vieilles Vignes, third place was awarded to the Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne another ringer, and fourth place went to yet another "ringer," the 1992 Mount Eden Estate Chardonnay. Of the Montrachets, three producers produced wines that certainly merited outstanding ratings. The fifth place wine was the Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Montrachet; sixth place went to Domaine Lafon's Montrachet; and seventh place was the Domaine Ramonet Montrachet. My numerical ratings generally mirrored the group's, with the Peter Michael Pointe Rouge receiving 97 points, Domaine Valette Pouilly-Fuisse Clos de Monsieur Noly Vieilles Vignes, 95; Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne, 96+; Mount Eden 1992 Chardonnay Estate, 94; DRC Montrachet, 93; Domaine Lafon Montrachet, 91+; Domaine Ramonet Montrachet, 90+; and most of the other Montrachets in the mid to upper-eighties, except for the appalling Montrachets from Delagrange-Bachelet and Rene Fleurot. A tropical fruit-scented, disjointed the acidity stuck out as it does in many New World Chardonnays Robert Drouhin Montrachet Marquis de la Guiche was another underachiever. Only four of the Montrachets possessed the depth and richness or the group's top three wines. Perhaps the most remarkable conclusion of this tasting was that none of the Montrachets displayed the complexity of the group's favorite three wines. And let's not hear any whining about these Montrachets needing 5-10, perhaps 15 years of cellaring. That may be the case in vintages such as 1986 or 1995, but the Montrachets are extremely forward, low acid wines except those that appeared to have had far too much acidity added. Too many of them were diluted, disjointed, flabby, and flat compared to the non-Montrachet wines of this tasting.

LaRVF (95)

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet Grand Cru 1997

Vinous (92+)

Very good red-ruby color. Perfumed, expressive aromas of red cherry, rose petal and nutty oak; marginally less precise than La Tache. The sweetest and thickest of these '98s, with impressive volume and the spherical shape characteristic of Romanee-Conti. Flavors are still quite unevolved, and the wine gives the impression of being in an awkward stage today.

Vinous (94+)

(est. 2,500-$2,900) Good deep red. Less expressive but still utterly sexy nose offers plum, raspberry, flowers, smoke and earth. Hints at its superb volume but this is quite closed and tightly knit today, and much less expressive and sweet than La Tache. But this superconcentrated wine seemed to gain sweetness with aeration, showing an increasingly fat, seamless texture without any loss of energy as it opened in the glass. Really saturates the palate on the aftertaste, where the tannins are thoroughly buffered by the wine's strong extract and superb depth.

Decanter (100)

Medium-full weight. Very lovely, almost Musigny-like fruit here. Complex, concentrated and intense. Marvelous harmony. Very, very long and multi-dimensional. This is very special.

Decanter (100)

Medium-full weight. Very lovely, almost Musigny-like fruit here. Complex, concentrated and intense. Marvelous harmony. Very, very long and multi-dimensional. This is very special.

Wine Spectator (99)

A combination of power and finesse, featuring explosive aromas and a complex mélange of flowers, spice, mint, strawberry and wild cherry flavors. Displays a sweetness not evident in the other DRC reds, with a silky texture and amazing harmony, all supported by refined tannins.—Non-blind 2010 DRC tasting (March 2013). Best from 2017 through 2040.

Jancis Robinson (19)

Light to mid garnet. Deeply fruited on the nose, with the promise of both fragrance and superb freshness. A definite herbal/stemmy character on the surface, then along with that an unexpected floral note and a hint of red cherry sweetness. Gloriously fine in texture, layer upon layer of finesse so that it changes back and forth in the glass and builds to complexity and incredible length. As I imagine graphene: immensely fine but with great internal strength.

Wine Advocate (100)

The 2016 Romanée-Conti Grand Cru is a worthy successor to the profound 2015, wafting from the glass with aromas of wild berries, violets, peony, dark chocolate, cinnamon and exotic spices. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, ample and satiny, with an ineffable sense of completeness, searing concentration without weight, a vibrant, indeed animating line of acidity, and a long, expansive finish that concludes with a judicious touch of mouthwatering bitterness. Wines like this are the foundation of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's reputation.

Wine Spectator (91)

A subtle, concentrated, graceful wine, offering a band of cherry, spice, oak and plum-tinged flavors that bring out vanilla, nutmeg and brown sugar notes on the finish. It's also firmly tannic and backward now, so it's a good candidate for the cellar.

Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (89-92)

Deep ruby-red. Less precise aroma initially dominated by dark chocolate; enticing notes of raspberry, violet and mocha emerged with aeration. Big and rich but on the tough side today; broad but not yet filled in. Flavor of black cherry. Finishes with slightly rough, palate-dusting tannins and the austerity of the vintage. Will require extended aging.

LaRVF (100)

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée Saint-Vivant Grand Cru 1999

Burghound (96)

This displays a positively classic nose of soaring Asian spices, ripe plum and a gamut of ripe, pure and lacy red and black fruits with the latter predominating all wrapped together with a seductive kiss of sweetly scented, highly perfumed violets; the nose is, in a word, intoxicating. All of this aromatic intensity leads to remarkably powerful, linear and still taut flavors that show simply unbelievable complexity and stunning length. This will very likely surpass every other RSV from the Domaine in recent memory from a sheer aromatics perspective as the nose really is dazzling. For my taste this has just about arrived at the front end of its peak drinkability though it should hold easily for years to come. Consistent notes save for one bottle that seemed a bit edgy and drying and not at all like what I have described above.

Burghound (96)

This displays a positively classic nose of soaring Asian spices, ripe plum and a gamut of ripe, pure and lacy red and black fruits with the latter predominating all wrapped together with a seductive kiss of sweetly scented, highly perfumed violets; the nose is, in a word, intoxicating. All of this aromatic intensity leads to remarkably powerful, linear and still taut flavors that show simply unbelievable complexity and stunning length. This will very likely surpass every other RSV from the Domaine in recent memory from a sheer aromatics perspective as the nose really is dazzling. For my taste this has just about arrived at the front end of its peak drinkability though it should hold easily for years to come. Consistent notes save for one bottle that seemed a bit edgy and drying and not at all like what I have described above.

Burghound (97)

An incredibly perfumed and supremely elegant if exceptionally ripe nose features notes of various black fruit scents that are replete with soy, hoisin, clove and anise nuances. There is outstanding power and richness to the refined, detailed and very firmly structured flavors that culminate in a precise, pure and driving finish that goes on and on. This is a really impressive effort that offers terrific potential but fans of this wine should note that it is arguably more masculine than it usually is yet at the same time utterly seamless. In sum this is arguably the finest RSV that the Domaine has ever produced.

Burghound (97)

An incredibly perfumed and supremely elegant if exceptionally ripe nose features notes of various black fruit scents that are replete with soy, hoisin, clove and anise nuances. There is outstanding power and richness to the refined, detailed and very firmly structured flavors that culminate in a precise, pure and driving finish that goes on and on. This is a really impressive effort that offers terrific potential but fans of this wine should note that it is arguably more masculine than it usually is yet at the same time utterly seamless. In sum this is arguably the finest RSV that the Domaine has ever produced.

Vinous (97)

An intense, almost exotic wine, the 2012 Romanée St.-Vivant takes the elements that make RSV such a distinctive site and simply amplifies all of them. Dense and yet also seamless on the palate, the 2012 RSV will need considerable time to shed its baby fat, but it is impressive just the same.

Vinous (94-97)

The 2013 Romanée St.-Vivant shows off all the signatures of this site, with soaring aromatics, bright, chiseled red-toned fruit and an understated expression of intensity that is all about finesse. A model of precision and nuance, the RSV is one of my early favorites in the range. Clean, saline notes add to a feeling of refreshing vitality.

Wine Advocate (95)

The 2014 Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru was picked on 21, 22 and 23 September cropped at 31.6 hectoliters per hectare. Now this has a distinctly earthy bouquet, one that leads you into the dark woods. Yes, there is plenty of vivacious red berry fruit, here augmented with something autumnal, brown leaves on an October morning, moss and tree bark. Then with continued aeration, these shift away and are replaced by pure floral aromas. The palate is very precise on the entry with a touch of orange rind and mandarin complementing the crushed strawberry and raspberry fruit; there is a touch of spiciness towards the finish that exerts a gentle, yet insistent grip à la Richebourg. The persistence here is very impressive and it just seems to blossom in the glass until you have utterly succumbed to its charms. 1,756 cases produced. Tasted February 2017.

Wine Advocate (95)

The 2014 Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru was picked on 21, 22 and 23 September cropped at 31.6 hectoliters per hectare. Now this has a distinctly earthy bouquet, one that leads you into the dark woods. Yes, there is plenty of vivacious red berry fruit, here augmented with something autumnal, brown leaves on an October morning, moss and tree bark. Then with continued aeration, these shift away and are replaced by pure floral aromas. The palate is very precise on the entry with a touch of orange rind and mandarin complementing the crushed strawberry and raspberry fruit; there is a touch of spiciness towards the finish that exerts a gentle, yet insistent grip à la Richebourg. The persistence here is very impressive and it just seems to blossom in the glass until you have utterly succumbed to its charms. 1,756 cases produced. Tasted February 2017.

Vinous (96)

Bright, full red. Sensational perfumed nose shows a musky element of wildness along with aromas of dark cherry, raspberry, wild strawberry, cocoa powder, brown spices and earth. A compellingly rich, horizontal wine that spreads out to coat every square millimeter of the palate. Quite firmly built--even a bit youthfully imploded--but this wine is already an attention-grabber. Finishes with a firm but refined dusting of tannins and outstanding rising length.

Vinous (96)

Bright, full red. Sensational perfumed nose shows a musky element of wildness along with aromas of dark cherry, raspberry, wild strawberry, cocoa powder, brown spices and earth. A compellingly rich, horizontal wine that spreads out to coat every square millimeter of the palate. Quite firmly built--even a bit youthfully imploded--but this wine is already an attention-grabber. Finishes with a firm but refined dusting of tannins and outstanding rising length.

Vinous (96)

Bright, full red. Sensational perfumed nose shows a musky element of wildness along with aromas of dark cherry, raspberry, wild strawberry, cocoa powder, brown spices and earth. A compellingly rich, horizontal wine that spreads out to coat every square millimeter of the palate. Quite firmly built--even a bit youthfully imploded--but this wine is already an attention-grabber. Finishes with a firm but refined dusting of tannins and outstanding rising length.

Vinous (96)

The 2016 Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru, picked on September 27–28 at 27hL/ha, has a heavenly, perfumed nose of blackberry, briar, wet limestone, incense and pressed iris flowers, displaying much more fruit intensity than the Corton alongside. There are subtle graphite notes that develop with aeration - the old-school pencil box, though it is never more than a fleeting suggestion. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin and quite rounded in the mouth, and that graphite tincture builds toward the second half. I adore the energy and balletic poise of this Romanée-Saint-Vivant as it deftly fans out toward the finish, exerting grip, but with the softest of touches, and offering deceiving weight and depth. A wine that exudes panache and sophistication. 1,304 cases produced. Tasted at Corney & Barrow’s annual in-bottle tasting in London.