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.
Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
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Burgundy | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£63,395.38 |
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Burgundy | 1 | 92-94 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£2,220.80 |
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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. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 92-94 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£5,634.41 |
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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. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 92-94 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£3,323.60 |
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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. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 92-94 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£6,500.81 |
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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. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 92-94 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£9,746.42 |
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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. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 92-94 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£3,812.00 |
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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. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 92-94 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£13,399.22 |
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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. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 99 (BH) |
Inc. VAT
£5,225.60 |
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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. |
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Burgundy | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£11,926.40 |
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|
Burgundy | 1 | 96-98 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£4,356.80 |
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Vinous (96-98)The 2018 Richebourg Grand Cru boasts one of the most expressive aromatics from barrel, offering dark berries mixed with crushed limestone, pressed flowers and oyster shell, the fruit becoming more intense with aeration. The palate is extremely cohesive with unerring symmetry, filigreed tannins (perhaps more like a Romanée-Saint-Vivant) and immense depth endowed upon its arching, cathedral-like structure. This is a brilliant Richebourg in the making. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 99+ (BH) |
Inc. VAT
£20,746.40 |
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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. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 94-96 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£3,990.80 |
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Vinous (94-96)The 2018 Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru has a detailed bouquet of dark cherries, blueberry and pressed iris, an undertow of sea spray and petrichor emerging with time. Less floral than previous vintages, it is nevertheless extremely well focused. The palate is medium-bodied and you are immediately struck by the harmony of this wine. Elegant and discreetly spiced toward the finish. I would just like to see more persistence manifest during the remainder of its élevage. |
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|
Burgundy | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£7,424.65 |
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Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
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Burgundy | 1 | - |
In Bond
£52,791.00 |
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Burgundy | 1 | 92-94 (VN) |
In Bond
£1,848.00 |
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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. |
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|
Burgundy | 1 | 92-94 (VN) |
In Bond
£4,690.00 |
|||||
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. |
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|
Burgundy | 1 | 92-94 (VN) |
In Bond
£2,767.00 |
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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. |
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|
Burgundy | 1 | 92-94 (VN) |
In Bond
£5,412.00 |
|||||
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. |
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|
Burgundy | 1 | 92-94 (VN) |
In Bond
£8,114.00 |
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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. |
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|
Burgundy | 1 | 92-94 (VN) |
In Bond
£3,174.00 |
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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. |
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|
Burgundy | 1 | 92-94 (VN) |
In Bond
£11,158.00 |
|||||
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. |
|||||||||
|
Burgundy | 1 | 99 (BH) |
In Bond
£4,352.00 |
|||||
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. |
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|
Burgundy | 1 | - |
In Bond
£9,936.00 |
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|
Burgundy | 1 | 96-98 (VN) |
In Bond
£3,628.00 |
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Vinous (96-98)The 2018 Richebourg Grand Cru boasts one of the most expressive aromatics from barrel, offering dark berries mixed with crushed limestone, pressed flowers and oyster shell, the fruit becoming more intense with aeration. The palate is extremely cohesive with unerring symmetry, filigreed tannins (perhaps more like a Romanée-Saint-Vivant) and immense depth endowed upon its arching, cathedral-like structure. This is a brilliant Richebourg in the making. |
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|
Burgundy | 1 | 99+ (BH) |
In Bond
£17,286.00 |
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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. |
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|
Burgundy | 1 | 94-96 (VN) |
In Bond
£3,323.00 |
|||||
Vinous (94-96)The 2018 Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru has a detailed bouquet of dark cherries, blueberry and pressed iris, an undertow of sea spray and petrichor emerging with time. Less floral than previous vintages, it is nevertheless extremely well focused. The palate is medium-bodied and you are immediately struck by the harmony of this wine. Elegant and discreetly spiced toward the finish. I would just like to see more persistence manifest during the remainder of its élevage. |
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|
Burgundy | 1 | - |
In Bond
£6,184.00 |
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