Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
About Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (aka DRC) is an iconic producer – and has maintained this position for many decades. DRC has a fascinating and lengthy history spanning the ownership of its namesake vineyard by the Bourbon Prince of Conti, through the French Revolution to the current owner of the de Villaine and Leroy/Roch families. Managing 25 hectares of exclusively Grand Cru vineyards, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti is the sole Burgundian estate to bottle nothing other than the pinnacle of the region’s classification system.
Chief amongst all Burgundy producers to claim holdings in most of the magical terroir in Vosne-Romanée, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti is famously hailed as the King of Vosne-Romanée. Possessing only the best vineyard in the region, two of their most sought after red wines being Romanée-Conti and La Tâche, both of which are monopole holdings and frequently amongst the best offerings in Burgundy.
Apart from Romanée-Conti and La Tâche, DRC also produces four other Grand Cru wines from Vosne-Romanée at ultra-limited quantity each year: Romanée St-Vivant Grand Cru (approx. 1,500 cases/year), Richebourg Grand Cru (approx. 1,000 cases/year), Échezeaux Grand Cru (approx. 1,340 cases/year) and Grand Échezeaux Grand Cru (approx. 1,150 cases/year).
The style of the DRC wines is rich, intense, silky, transparent and quite light on the aromatic palate with more red than dark nuances. The use of whole clusters gives a very rich aromatic profile, and a very high complexity as the wine ages. All the wines are very reflective of the terroir, and the difference in terroir is very clear even when the wines are very young and powerful. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti normally use 100% new oak on the wines.
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Inc. VAT£42,011.54
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Vinous (92+)
Medium red. Captivating high notes of strawberry, raspberry, white pepper and pungent oak spices. Juicy, intense and soil-driven, with complex saline soil tones to the flavors of redcurrant, spices and pepper. Finishes long and salty, with very good lift. Aubert de Villaine told me he preferred both the 2011 and 2009 versions of this wine.Inc. VAT£11,302.82 -
Vinous (92)
(90% destemmed): Good deep red. Ethereal aromas of red berries, minerals and spicy oak. Juicy, spicy and penetrating, conveying a light touch and excellent energy to the flavors of red fruits, pepper, herbs and licorice. Finishes with firm, ripe tannins and a spicy perfume that leaves the mouth refreshed.Inc. VAT£10,059.62 -
Vinous (92-94)
The 2018 Corton Grand Cru contains fruit from plots of replanted vines for the first time this year, and also 80% whole bunches. Bertrand de Villaine told me that the blending was done a little later than their other crus. Matured in 100% new oak, it has an attractive bouquet of brambly red fruit, blueberry and scents of crushed stone, all nicely detailed. The palate is taut on the entry with an almost chalky texture and notes of bitter cherries and black currants. Fine symmetry toward the finish. Excellent.Inc. VAT£5,556.41 -
Vinous (93)
The 2020 Corton Grand Cru is the usual blend from Clos du Roi (Bressandes and Les Renardes leased from the Prince de Mérode family), and it was picked on 26 August at 24.6hL/ha. This is focused and a little backward on the nose; it needs a little encouragement from the glass. It rewards patience with subtle potpourri and incense aromas. An orange rind touch complements the dark berry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and a satisfying degree of edginess and delineation. Sour cherry nuances underlie the carapace of higher-toned blue fruit with a persistent and succulent finish. Maybe it just needs a little more mineralité on the aftertaste, nevertheless, it remains a fine Corton that will give 20 years of drinking pleasure. 454 cases produced. Tasted at Corney & Barrow’s annual in bottle tasting in London.Inc. VAT£7,249.94 -
Inc. VAT£13,402.01
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Inc. VAT£18,486.74
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Vinous (93)
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's 2002 Echézeaux came across as quite powerful, rich and deep, with sweet tannins and layers of round, generous fruit.Inc. VAT£5,728.01 -
Inc. VAT£11,130.02
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Wine Advocate (94)
Drunk in Burgundy from a French source, this bottle of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's 2006 Échézeaux Grand Cru was showing extremely well, opening in the glass with aromas of raspberries, cherries, spices and rose petals, framed by a deft patina of high-quality new oak. Full-bodied, voluptuous and layered, it's rich and muscular, with lively acids and plenty of powdery tannin. To my taste, this is still a decade away from maturity, though it is immensely pleasurable to drink now.Inc. VAT£11,431.22 -
Jancis Robinson (18.5)
Gentle spice, hint of cigar box and delicate oak spice aromas and something perfumed and almost exotic, a little like sandalwood, opening up to spiced red fruit and candied orange-peel freshness. Already so multi-faceted and open on the nose. Very tangy and finely spiced on the palate too. There’s density and elegant tannic structure but so well dressed in light but fine fruit that you barely see the framework. Fine spicy grip on the long fresh finish. Silky, scented, gorgeous. The most approachable of the 2007 grands crus tasted alongside.Inc. VAT£12,736.82 -
Vinous (94)
The 2011 Échézeaux literally jumps from the glass with a heady melange of dark red fruit, sweet floral notes and crushed rocks. Rich and explosive on the palate, yet backed up with significant structure and pure intensity, the 2011 is firing on all cylinders. First and foremost, the Échézeaux is a wine of pure texture. The Échézeaux emerges from 7-8 parcels in the Poulallières climat. There is so much to like here.Inc. VAT£10,060.82 -
Vinous (94)
The 2017 Echézeaux Grand Cru is similarly lifted, with a bit darker fruit and more structure than the Corton. A deceptive, beguiling Burgundy, the 2017 shows the mid-weight structure of the year. Here too, time in the glass brings out the wine’s vertical feel and overall intensity. The 2017 needs time to soften, but it is incredibly persistent and impeccable in its balance. Readers should expect an especially austere Echézeaux that is going to require cellaring. The fruit was brought in on September 13 and 15, with a day’s break in between because of rain.Inc. VAT£10,327.22 -
Vinous (92-94)
The 2018 Echézeaux Grand Cru has a very deep hue. The extraordinarily pure bouquet features black cherries intermingling with blueberry and oyster shell, and later a hint of potpourri. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, edgy and stony, with dark berry fruit and a little spicier than I recall apropos of previous Echézeaux at this stage. It might just need a little length, but otherwise it is a wine determined not to be outshone by its Grand Cru siblings.Inc. VAT£6,413.21 -
Vinous (92-94)
The 2018 Echézeaux Grand Cru has a very deep hue. The extraordinarily pure bouquet features black cherries intermingling with blueberry and oyster shell, and later a hint of potpourri. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, edgy and stony, with dark berry fruit and a little spicier than I recall apropos of previous Echézeaux at this stage. It might just need a little length, but otherwise it is a wine determined not to be outshone by its Grand Cru siblings.Inc. VAT£9,613.22 -
Vinous (91)
The 2020 Echézeaux Grand Cru was picked on 30 August and 1 September at 28.2hL/ha. The floral aspect of the vineyard is nicely accentuated on the nose. There's a mélange of red and black fruit, a slight creaminess coming through with time and then this ebbs to offer light sous-bois scents. The palate is medium-bodied with a vivid entry of wild strawberry and blackcurrant. A polished Echézeaux, nicely proportioned, not the most complex in recent years (I suspect the 2020 might surpass it in that respect), though there is ample weight and dimension. It gains delineation in the glass, though the Corton has a little more persistence at the moment. 1,280 cases produced. Tasted at Corney & Barrow’s annual in bottle tasting in London.Inc. VAT£6,173.21 -
Inc. VAT£4,586.89
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Vinous (94)
I have been fortunate to taste the 1971 Grands Echézeaux four times now (always a privilege when it is your birth year). This 1971 bottle is as good as the best I have come across despite some turbidity in the glass. Yet the bouquet is divine and ethereal with vestiges of red cherry and strawberry, wild heather (again - just like previous bottles) and pressed flowers. The palate is fully mature with tart red fruit, brown spice and that telltale sense of transparency towards the finish. It is not a dense or powerful wine and I suspect it was better around 20 years of age. But it has aged gracefully and maintained such exceptional balance and poise that you cannot help surrendering to its charms. Tasted at a private lunch at Howard's Gourmet.Inc. VAT£9,155.29 -
Vinous (94+)
Dark cherry, plum, cloves and menthol are some of the many notes that wrap around the palate in the 2011 Grands-Échézeaux. This is an especially dark, somber Grands-Échézeaux. Today the tannins are quite firm and the wine is holding back much of its potential, but it possesses superb depth that will only fully emerge after a number of years in the cellar. Sweet tobacco, savory herbs and leather wrap around a finish infused with gravitas.Inc. VAT£10,128.02 -
Vinous (95)
The 2015 Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru was cropped at 30.42hl/ha on 11 and 12 September. It has a glorious bouquet that springs from the glass: Morello cherries, crushed strawberry, crushed stone, just a hint of bay leaf all beautifully defined and with a little more horsepower than the Echézeaux. The palate is medium-bodied with a gentle grip on the entry and comes across more saline in the mouth than its “little brother”. There is a pinch of spice that becomes more prominent with aeration and then against my expectations, it becomes understated and quite linear on the finish. One of the more backward 2015s from the domaine this year, I would cellar this for four or five years at least; a Grands Echézeaux that is full of secrets. Tasted at Corney & Barrow’s annual in bottle tasting in London.Inc. VAT£11,732.42 -
Vinous (92-94)
The 2018 Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru may well be the most perplexing offering from the domaine this year. Backward and reticent on the nose, this is very well-defined, but my word, you have to eke out the light sea cave and limestone scents with rigorous swirling of the glass. The palate is medium-bodied and very fresh. This is an atypically linear Grands Echézeaux that sports a bony finish marked by the whole-bunch addition. I am fascinated to revisit this once in bottle. At the moment it is a book that does not want to be read.Inc. VAT£13,496.42 -
Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (93-95)
Similar dark red. Perfumed, vinous aromas of crystallized dark berries and oriental spices. A step up in sweetness and depth of flavor; this already shows extravagant inner-mouth flavor and personality. Stronger but perfectly integrated acids give this superb grip for the vintage. Very long, subtle and firm on the finish, with a lively hint of licorice. Showing extremely well today.Inc. VAT£20,040.02 -
Vinous (100)
The 2005 La Tâche is simply magnificent. There is not too much I can add. Deep, powerful and richly textured, the 2005 simply has it all. Time in the glass releases the aromatics, but it is the wine’s pure sensuality I find most enticing. A host of dark red and blue stone fruits, hard candy and wild flowers take center stage. Even with all of its intensity, the 2005 retains striking freshness and purity. Can it get better than this?Inc. VAT£30,470.42 -
Vinous (98)
The 2009 La Tâche Grand Cru is the most ethereal of the three wines in this flight. Whole cluster influence is especially marked here. A whole range of spice, dried flower, mint and savory overtones infuse the 2009 with layers of nuance. Next to the other wines in this flight, La Tâche is ethereal and harder to fully capture with words, an attribute many, if not most, of the world’s greatest wines share.Inc. VAT£24,609.62 -
Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (95-98)
Bright, full red. Sexy, multidimensional nose offers red berries, crushed stone, Oriental spices and a pungent smoky complexity. Wonderfully silky and concentrated, with dark raspberry, licorice and mineral flavors combining density and a light touch. This boasts a near-perfect balance of fruits, minerals, acidity and suave, fine-grained tannins. The slowly mounting finish saturates every square millimeter of the palate and builds inexorably. A great showing today. DRC produced 68 barrels of this juice in 2011: you do the math.Inc. VAT£16,864.82 -
Vinous (97)
Bright, dark red. Spellbinding perfume combines red berries, cherry, Oriental spices, rose petal, licorice, pepper and minerals. Perfectly balanced from the outset, showing outstanding clarity and lift, not to mention superb sappy depth, to its multifaceted red fruit, mineral, spice and floral flavors. The combination of sweetness and grip is extraordinary, as is the wine's expanding, mounting aftertaste. Will this beauty ever go into a truly sullen stage? Probably.Inc. VAT£17,772.02 -
Wine Advocate (98)
The 2015 La Tâche Grand Cru is a young classic, soaring from the glass with an exotic and stunningly complex bouquet of dark berries, plums, hoisin, smoked duck, dark chocolate, licorice and Chinese five spice, with just a touch of rose hip on the upper register. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, multidimensional and authoritative, with more mid-palate depth than the Richebourg, its attack more textural and layered. The tannins here are fine grained but firm—swathed in an ample core of plummy, almost savory fruit—and the finish is long and scintillating. Cropped at 25 hectoliters per hectare and harvested September 7 and 8.Inc. VAT£27,009.62 -
Vinous (98)
The 2016 La Tâche Grand Cru was picked on September 24–25 at 31hL/ha (the highest of the five crus). It has an utterly sublime bouquet of blackberry, briar, crushed limestone, a dash of cracked black pepper and a little oregano. This is extremely complex and displays exquisite focus, to the extent that you could just sit and nose it all day. The palate is beautifully balanced, the spicy red fruit framed by filigreed tannin that belies its backbone. There is a gentle crescendo from start to finish, though being La Tâche it retains complete control. The precision and detail in the final third are deeply impressive. Less fruit-forward than the 2015, and lightly spiced, with an insistent grip. There is a captivating sense of completeness that will ensure longevity through three or four decades. 1,814 cases produced. Tasted at Corney & Barrow’s annual in-bottle tasting in London.Inc. VAT£20,752.82 -
Burghound (99)
This is unusually cool and airy in the context of what is typical in 2018 with its restrained and beautifully layered nose of rose petal, violet, lavender, lilac, sandalwood and soy nuances that add incredible breadth to the mostly red berry-suffused aromas, all of which is trimmed in very subtle oak influence. There is outstanding volume to the big, muscular and robust flavors that also possess focused power where the intensity does a slow build from the mid-palate to the explosively long and decidedly austere finish that just lasts and lasts. This is somewhat less 2018 in style than the prior wines though it is clearly quite ripe. It is also a bit less refined than it usually is, at least at this early stage, though to be fair it is still in its formative stages so we will see how it comes along with more aging. I would observe though that it is already abundantly clear that this is a stunningly great LT; indeed it may well rival the 1999 in time, is going to develop quite slowly over a very long period.Inc. VAT£10,981.61 -
Vinous (96)
This is a fabulous bottle of the 1998 Montrachet, the best I have ever had. Tropical and exotic in the glass, with striking layers of nuance, the 1998 is super-expressive on this night. Honey, tangerine oil and spice add character to the vivid, textured finish. A rich fabric of aromas, flavors and textures makes the 1998 absolutely compelling. Tasted at the DRC Montrachet charity event in New York.Inc. VAT£27,485.54
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In Bond£35,000.00
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Vinous (92+)
Medium red. Captivating high notes of strawberry, raspberry, white pepper and pungent oak spices. Juicy, intense and soil-driven, with complex saline soil tones to the flavors of redcurrant, spices and pepper. Finishes long and salty, with very good lift. Aubert de Villaine told me he preferred both the 2011 and 2009 versions of this wine.In Bond£9,411.00 -
Vinous (92)
(90% destemmed): Good deep red. Ethereal aromas of red berries, minerals and spicy oak. Juicy, spicy and penetrating, conveying a light touch and excellent energy to the flavors of red fruits, pepper, herbs and licorice. Finishes with firm, ripe tannins and a spicy perfume that leaves the mouth refreshed.In Bond£8,375.00 -
Vinous (92-94)
The 2018 Corton Grand Cru contains fruit from plots of replanted vines for the first time this year, and also 80% whole bunches. Bertrand de Villaine told me that the blending was done a little later than their other crus. Matured in 100% new oak, it has an attractive bouquet of brambly red fruit, blueberry and scents of crushed stone, all nicely detailed. The palate is taut on the entry with an almost chalky texture and notes of bitter cherries and black currants. Fine symmetry toward the finish. Excellent.In Bond£4,625.00 -
Vinous (93)
The 2020 Corton Grand Cru is the usual blend from Clos du Roi (Bressandes and Les Renardes leased from the Prince de Mérode family), and it was picked on 26 August at 24.6hL/ha. This is focused and a little backward on the nose; it needs a little encouragement from the glass. It rewards patience with subtle potpourri and incense aromas. An orange rind touch complements the dark berry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and a satisfying degree of edginess and delineation. Sour cherry nuances underlie the carapace of higher-toned blue fruit with a persistent and succulent finish. Maybe it just needs a little more mineralité on the aftertaste, nevertheless, it remains a fine Corton that will give 20 years of drinking pleasure. 454 cases produced. Tasted at Corney & Barrow’s annual in bottle tasting in London.In Bond£6,032.00 -
In Bond£11,163.00
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In Bond£15,396.00
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Vinous (93)
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's 2002 Echézeaux came across as quite powerful, rich and deep, with sweet tannins and layers of round, generous fruit.In Bond£4,768.00 -
In Bond£9,267.00
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Wine Advocate (94)
Drunk in Burgundy from a French source, this bottle of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's 2006 Échézeaux Grand Cru was showing extremely well, opening in the glass with aromas of raspberries, cherries, spices and rose petals, framed by a deft patina of high-quality new oak. Full-bodied, voluptuous and layered, it's rich and muscular, with lively acids and plenty of powdery tannin. To my taste, this is still a decade away from maturity, though it is immensely pleasurable to drink now.In Bond£9,518.00 -
Jancis Robinson (18.5)
Gentle spice, hint of cigar box and delicate oak spice aromas and something perfumed and almost exotic, a little like sandalwood, opening up to spiced red fruit and candied orange-peel freshness. Already so multi-faceted and open on the nose. Very tangy and finely spiced on the palate too. There’s density and elegant tannic structure but so well dressed in light but fine fruit that you barely see the framework. Fine spicy grip on the long fresh finish. Silky, scented, gorgeous. The most approachable of the 2007 grands crus tasted alongside.In Bond£10,606.00 -
Vinous (94)
The 2011 Échézeaux literally jumps from the glass with a heady melange of dark red fruit, sweet floral notes and crushed rocks. Rich and explosive on the palate, yet backed up with significant structure and pure intensity, the 2011 is firing on all cylinders. First and foremost, the Échézeaux is a wine of pure texture. The Échézeaux emerges from 7-8 parcels in the Poulallières climat. There is so much to like here.In Bond£8,376.00 -
Vinous (94)
The 2017 Echézeaux Grand Cru is similarly lifted, with a bit darker fruit and more structure than the Corton. A deceptive, beguiling Burgundy, the 2017 shows the mid-weight structure of the year. Here too, time in the glass brings out the wine’s vertical feel and overall intensity. The 2017 needs time to soften, but it is incredibly persistent and impeccable in its balance. Readers should expect an especially austere Echézeaux that is going to require cellaring. The fruit was brought in on September 13 and 15, with a day’s break in between because of rain.In Bond£8,598.00 -
Vinous (92-94)
The 2018 Echézeaux Grand Cru has a very deep hue. The extraordinarily pure bouquet features black cherries intermingling with blueberry and oyster shell, and later a hint of potpourri. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, edgy and stony, with dark berry fruit and a little spicier than I recall apropos of previous Echézeaux at this stage. It might just need a little length, but otherwise it is a wine determined not to be outshone by its Grand Cru siblings.In Bond£5,339.00 -
Vinous (92-94)
The 2018 Echézeaux Grand Cru has a very deep hue. The extraordinarily pure bouquet features black cherries intermingling with blueberry and oyster shell, and later a hint of potpourri. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, edgy and stony, with dark berry fruit and a little spicier than I recall apropos of previous Echézeaux at this stage. It might just need a little length, but otherwise it is a wine determined not to be outshone by its Grand Cru siblings.In Bond£8,003.00 -
Vinous (91)
The 2020 Echézeaux Grand Cru was picked on 30 August and 1 September at 28.2hL/ha. The floral aspect of the vineyard is nicely accentuated on the nose. There's a mélange of red and black fruit, a slight creaminess coming through with time and then this ebbs to offer light sous-bois scents. The palate is medium-bodied with a vivid entry of wild strawberry and blackcurrant. A polished Echézeaux, nicely proportioned, not the most complex in recent years (I suspect the 2020 might surpass it in that respect), though there is ample weight and dimension. It gains delineation in the glass, though the Corton has a little more persistence at the moment. 1,280 cases produced. Tasted at Corney & Barrow’s annual in bottle tasting in London.In Bond£5,139.00 -
In Bond£3,816.00
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Vinous (94)
I have been fortunate to taste the 1971 Grands Echézeaux four times now (always a privilege when it is your birth year). This 1971 bottle is as good as the best I have come across despite some turbidity in the glass. Yet the bouquet is divine and ethereal with vestiges of red cherry and strawberry, wild heather (again - just like previous bottles) and pressed flowers. The palate is fully mature with tart red fruit, brown spice and that telltale sense of transparency towards the finish. It is not a dense or powerful wine and I suspect it was better around 20 years of age. But it has aged gracefully and maintained such exceptional balance and poise that you cannot help surrendering to its charms. Tasted at a private lunch at Howard's Gourmet.In Bond£7,623.00 -
Vinous (94+)
Dark cherry, plum, cloves and menthol are some of the many notes that wrap around the palate in the 2011 Grands-Échézeaux. This is an especially dark, somber Grands-Échézeaux. Today the tannins are quite firm and the wine is holding back much of its potential, but it possesses superb depth that will only fully emerge after a number of years in the cellar. Sweet tobacco, savory herbs and leather wrap around a finish infused with gravitas.In Bond£8,432.00 -
Vinous (95)
The 2015 Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru was cropped at 30.42hl/ha on 11 and 12 September. It has a glorious bouquet that springs from the glass: Morello cherries, crushed strawberry, crushed stone, just a hint of bay leaf all beautifully defined and with a little more horsepower than the Echézeaux. The palate is medium-bodied with a gentle grip on the entry and comes across more saline in the mouth than its “little brother”. There is a pinch of spice that becomes more prominent with aeration and then against my expectations, it becomes understated and quite linear on the finish. One of the more backward 2015s from the domaine this year, I would cellar this for four or five years at least; a Grands Echézeaux that is full of secrets. Tasted at Corney & Barrow’s annual in bottle tasting in London.In Bond£9,769.00 -
Vinous (92-94)
The 2018 Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru may well be the most perplexing offering from the domaine this year. Backward and reticent on the nose, this is very well-defined, but my word, you have to eke out the light sea cave and limestone scents with rigorous swirling of the glass. The palate is medium-bodied and very fresh. This is an atypically linear Grands Echézeaux that sports a bony finish marked by the whole-bunch addition. I am fascinated to revisit this once in bottle. At the moment it is a book that does not want to be read.In Bond£11,239.00 -
Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (93-95)
Similar dark red. Perfumed, vinous aromas of crystallized dark berries and oriental spices. A step up in sweetness and depth of flavor; this already shows extravagant inner-mouth flavor and personality. Stronger but perfectly integrated acids give this superb grip for the vintage. Very long, subtle and firm on the finish, with a lively hint of licorice. Showing extremely well today.In Bond£16,692.00 -
Vinous (100)
The 2005 La Tâche is simply magnificent. There is not too much I can add. Deep, powerful and richly textured, the 2005 simply has it all. Time in the glass releases the aromatics, but it is the wine’s pure sensuality I find most enticing. A host of dark red and blue stone fruits, hard candy and wild flowers take center stage. Even with all of its intensity, the 2005 retains striking freshness and purity. Can it get better than this?In Bond£25,384.00 -
Vinous (98)
The 2009 La Tâche Grand Cru is the most ethereal of the three wines in this flight. Whole cluster influence is especially marked here. A whole range of spice, dried flower, mint and savory overtones infuse the 2009 with layers of nuance. Next to the other wines in this flight, La Tâche is ethereal and harder to fully capture with words, an attribute many, if not most, of the world’s greatest wines share.In Bond£20,500.00 -
Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (95-98)
Bright, full red. Sexy, multidimensional nose offers red berries, crushed stone, Oriental spices and a pungent smoky complexity. Wonderfully silky and concentrated, with dark raspberry, licorice and mineral flavors combining density and a light touch. This boasts a near-perfect balance of fruits, minerals, acidity and suave, fine-grained tannins. The slowly mounting finish saturates every square millimeter of the palate and builds inexorably. A great showing today. DRC produced 68 barrels of this juice in 2011: you do the math.In Bond£14,046.00 -
Vinous (97)
Bright, dark red. Spellbinding perfume combines red berries, cherry, Oriental spices, rose petal, licorice, pepper and minerals. Perfectly balanced from the outset, showing outstanding clarity and lift, not to mention superb sappy depth, to its multifaceted red fruit, mineral, spice and floral flavors. The combination of sweetness and grip is extraordinary, as is the wine's expanding, mounting aftertaste. Will this beauty ever go into a truly sullen stage? Probably.In Bond£14,802.00 -
Wine Advocate (98)
The 2015 La Tâche Grand Cru is a young classic, soaring from the glass with an exotic and stunningly complex bouquet of dark berries, plums, hoisin, smoked duck, dark chocolate, licorice and Chinese five spice, with just a touch of rose hip on the upper register. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, multidimensional and authoritative, with more mid-palate depth than the Richebourg, its attack more textural and layered. The tannins here are fine grained but firm—swathed in an ample core of plummy, almost savory fruit—and the finish is long and scintillating. Cropped at 25 hectoliters per hectare and harvested September 7 and 8.In Bond£22,500.00 -
Vinous (98)
The 2016 La Tâche Grand Cru was picked on September 24–25 at 31hL/ha (the highest of the five crus). It has an utterly sublime bouquet of blackberry, briar, crushed limestone, a dash of cracked black pepper and a little oregano. This is extremely complex and displays exquisite focus, to the extent that you could just sit and nose it all day. The palate is beautifully balanced, the spicy red fruit framed by filigreed tannin that belies its backbone. There is a gentle crescendo from start to finish, though being La Tâche it retains complete control. The precision and detail in the final third are deeply impressive. Less fruit-forward than the 2015, and lightly spiced, with an insistent grip. There is a captivating sense of completeness that will ensure longevity through three or four decades. 1,814 cases produced. Tasted at Corney & Barrow’s annual in-bottle tasting in London.In Bond£17,286.00 -
Burghound (99)
This is unusually cool and airy in the context of what is typical in 2018 with its restrained and beautifully layered nose of rose petal, violet, lavender, lilac, sandalwood and soy nuances that add incredible breadth to the mostly red berry-suffused aromas, all of which is trimmed in very subtle oak influence. There is outstanding volume to the big, muscular and robust flavors that also possess focused power where the intensity does a slow build from the mid-palate to the explosively long and decidedly austere finish that just lasts and lasts. This is somewhat less 2018 in style than the prior wines though it is clearly quite ripe. It is also a bit less refined than it usually is, at least at this early stage, though to be fair it is still in its formative stages so we will see how it comes along with more aging. I would observe though that it is already abundantly clear that this is a stunningly great LT; indeed it may well rival the 1999 in time, is going to develop quite slowly over a very long period.In Bond£9,146.00 -
Vinous (96)
This is a fabulous bottle of the 1998 Montrachet, the best I have ever had. Tropical and exotic in the glass, with striking layers of nuance, the 1998 is super-expressive on this night. Honey, tangerine oil and spice add character to the vivid, textured finish. A rich fabric of aromas, flavors and textures makes the 1998 absolutely compelling. Tasted at the DRC Montrachet charity event in New York.In Bond£22,895.00