Vinous (85)

Many see the mid-1970s as the nadir for the domaine, and this 1975 Romanée-Conti Grand Cru is frankly more interesting than pleasurable. Completely bricked through to the core, it has a light, airy nose displaying vestiges of red fruit, molasses and just a slight vegetal note, though not as marked as expected. The palate is, in fact, quite well balanced, though it is shallow and tapers severely toward the finish, and leaves a sous-bois aftertaste. Not terrible by a long shot, though as a postscript, it is interesting to note how favorably the 1975 Echézeaux showed when poured blind just a few weeks later.

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.

Wine Spectator (98)

Incredible harmony to this pedigreed red Burgundy. Closed on the nose now, it unfolds layers of elegant yet superripe fruit, wrapping around the palate, coating every taste bud with the silky flavors. Full-bodied and not powerful, it's just lovely, with an aftertaste that seems to last for minutes. Best from 2006 through 2036.

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 (97+)

($3120) Good red-ruby. Knockout nose of black raspberry, tobacco and flowers; vibrant for 2003. Then dense, creamy and seamless yet almost shockingly vibrant, with outstanding balance and an impression of firm acids. In fact, this is the highest in acidity of these 2003s, with a pH of 3.5 (the rest are between 3.6 and 3.65, according to Villaine). The mounting finish goes on and on. Great wine, perhaps monumental.

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.

Vinous (97)

Bright, deep red. Reticent, musky nose opens slowly to reveal blackberry, violet, wild herbs and spicy oak; in a rather feminine style and a showstopper. Juicy and penetrating but at the same time silky and sweet, offering an ineffable combination of red and dark berries, spices, flowers and minerals. Conveys an impression of volume and thickness without any obvious weight. Dusty tannins saturate the palate and shimmer on the unflagging finish. The combination of silkiness and vibrancy here is uncanny.

Wine Advocate (99)

Usually, choosing between La Tâche and Romanée-Conti is like choosing between your two favourite children. Not this year. The 2012 Romanée-Conti is one of the most spellbinding that I have tasted since I began 17 years ago. The bouquet is quite astonishing with brilliant delineation and focus, an almost disorientating sense of mineralité that soars from the glass and leaves you speechless. The palate is perfectly proportioned with a sensational line of acidity, brimming over with energy and frisson. This flirts with perfection and you know, one day it might actually achieve it. Just 350 cases produced.

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.

Vinous (96)

The 2017 Romanée-Conti Grand Cru was picked on September 8 at 35hl/ha and bottled April 25–26 . It has a quintessential Romanée-Conti bouquet of pure, seductive red fruit (morello cherry, cranberry, raspberry), extremely well defined and focused, plus subtle sea spray/seaweed aromas; with continued aeration, I noticed just a faint touch of curry leaf in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins and very fine acidity. A discreet crescendo in intensity leads to a harmonious, lightly spiced and slightly more mineral-driven finish than the La Tâche. Yet I cannot help feeling that the La Tâche has a little more complexity than the Romanée-Conti, and perhaps a little more potential. Let’s see. 627 cases produced. Tasted at Corney & Barrow’s annual in-bottle tasting in London.

Burghound (99+)

This is arguably the most floral-inflected nose in the range and, somewhat unusually, it's just as spicy as the La Tâche despite being as cool and restrained as it always is at this early stage. The focused, intense and beautifully well-delineated flavors are an exercise in refined and focused power, all wrapped in intensely mineral-inflected, youthfully austere and superbly persistent finish where a hint of warmth slowly emerges. In much the same fashion as the La Tâche, this is compact, backward and very tightly coiled yet the Zen-like sense of harmony is very much present. I was knocked out by just how marvelous this is and while it's obviously much too early to be tossing around "one of the greatest ever" accolades, it's at least possible that the 2018 RC could well be a candidate, which is of course really saying something.

Decanter (100)

Picked at the same time as La Tâche on 17 September, Romanée-Conti is following a different arc of evolution. Tasted out of barrel, the wine was perfection itself. I remember being struck by the explosive nature of the aromas and their range from high-toned red fruit to darker black fruit and the shading delivered by notes of while herb, mineral, and earth. None of that has disappeared, but the ensemble is less expressively aromatic than it was from barrel. The wine seems to be going quiet, although on the palate the enormous extract, density and well-managed tannins are all still in evidence. It is certain it will be worth the wait.

Wine Advocate (100)

The 2020 Romanée-Conti Grand Cru is a wine of real grace and purity. Unfurling in the glass with aromas of raspberries and blackberries mingled with sweet spices, violets, peonies and a subtle hint of wintergreen, it's full-bodied, ample and satiny, with terrific concentration and a suave, seamless, layered profile, gliding over the palate. It's as intensely flavorful as the more muscular, broader-shouldered La Tâche, but it's more elegant and sensual. It's also the wine in the cellar that's the least marked by the style of the vintage.

Wine Advocate (100)

The 2020 Romanée-Conti Grand Cru is a wine of real grace and purity. Unfurling in the glass with aromas of raspberries and blackberries mingled with sweet spices, violets, peonies and a subtle hint of wintergreen, it's full-bodied, ample and satiny, with terrific concentration and a suave, seamless, layered profile, gliding over the palate. It's as intensely flavorful as the more muscular, broader-shouldered La Tâche, but it's more elegant and sensual. It's also the wine in the cellar that's the least marked by the style of the vintage.

Vinous (95-97)

The 2021 Romanée-Conti Grand Cru is cut from a completely different cloth than the La Tâche. The phrase I immediately scribble down is that is does not exude the same confidence. Dark berry fruit, hints of undergrowth and crushed stone. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins, lightly spiced with hints of bitter cherry and citrus fruit. It does not possess the weight nor the cohesion of the La Tâche from barrel, yet there is no denying that it carries intellectual weight and restrained gravitas. Biding its time or letting La Tâche carry the honours in 2021? Only time will tell.

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 (91)

The 1991 Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru comes across powerful and ripe on the nose, displaying perhaps a little more volatility than I am accustomed to apropos of this hallowed domaine. It seems to be trying too hard to impress when there is no need, and here, I feel that Leroy has the upper hand in terms of complexity and terroir expression. The ripe, sensual palate features a core of pure black fruit; the tannic structure is not quite as fine as I would expect and lacks the panache and sophistication of the 1991 La Tâche. This does offer outstanding length, but not the high level of detail I anticipated. Tasted at the DRC/Leroy comparative dinner in Hong Kong.

Vinous (95)

An absolutely gorgeous wine, the 1993 Romanée St. Vivant is sinewy, nervous and beautifully persistent, with all of the aromatic intensity that makes wines from this site so compelling. Deceptively medium in body, the 1993 offers terrific depth and pure pedigree.

Vinous (95)

The 1996 Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru puts in a splendid performance. Quite deep in colour (like many Pinots this vintage), it has a bewitching and precise bouquet with dark cherries, crushed stone, iris and oyster shells, gaining more and more delineation as it opens in the glass. The palate is very focused, fresh and vibrant, hints of Earl Grey infusing the red fruit and silky smooth in texture. It displays the femininity of this vineyard, precise and shimmering with energy on the finish. This is a great showing and yet one can tell it has another two or three decades of pleasure to give. Tasted over dinner at Oswald's in London.

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.

Wine Enthusiast (95)

A delicious, flowery, aromatic wine. The flavors float around the firm core of fine tannins, plum skin and fig flavors, combining with acidity and leaving an impression of delicacy, yet also great aging potential.