Domaine Romanée- Conti : the tasting!

Return to the special feature "25 Years in Burgundy" published in issue 149 of Bourgogne Aujourd'hui and edited by an exceptional editor-in-chief: Aubert de Villaine, the emblematic co-manager of Domaine Romanée- Conti .

We published the article dedicated to the domaine Romanée- Conti Let's talk about the wines… Each vintage tells a story, and so does each terroir.

THE Domaine of La Romanée- Conti we had been offered to taste each grand cru of domaine by "attributing" to it one, or even two vintages of very different styles: sunny, cold, dry, humid, generous... A journey through the last thirty years of Burgundy!

Grand cru red wines

Romanée- Conti 2016

Area: 1.814 hectares (monopoly). Average age of vines: 60 years. "We had all sorts of problems in the spring: frost, which had little impact on La Romanée- Conti But it destroyed 90% of the harvest in Le Montrachet, Les Grands-Échezeaux, and Les Échezeaux, followed by rain and mildew. Everything changed in mid-July with the return of good weather. We started harvesting on September 23rd, and in the end, 2016 is one of the greatest vintages of pinot noir "of the last fifteen years," Aubert de Villaine believes. An intense dress, without excess, of pinot noir in nuances rouge -garnet. The initial nose is deep, but still a little reserved, and after aeration, these fruity, licorice, and above all floral and spicy notes emerge, displaying great complexity, brought about by a vinification with perfectly controlled whole-cluster fermentation. A great deal of power and intensity on the palate, immense length, and velvety, refined tannins. "It's true that even in a very young vintage, we already have the silky texture of La Romanée- Conti "It used to take more time to achieve this sensuality. The vines are aging and perhaps they are producing a different quality of grapes," concludes Aubert de Villaine.

Richebourg 2012

Vineyard area: 3.511 hectares. Average vine age: 60 years. Another year with a "difficult" spring, saved by a beautiful late summer. A "classic" year, in a way, with ripening occurring (well) between the end of August and the first three weeks of September, "when the grapes were able to ripen gently in reasonable temperatures," assures Aubert de Villaine. The wine is generally quite closed off. "After six or seven years in the bottle, it's quite normal for the wines to go through a period of closure," observes the co-manager of the Domaine of La Romanée- Conti The aeration in the glass does its work, and after about thirty minutes, the wine gradually reveals notes of sweet spices, licorice, and cocoa; the fruitiness gains both substance and freshness, and, as with La Romanée- Conti In 2016, delicate floral notes emerged. On the palate, the wine remained somewhat reserved, displaying evident nobility, pedigree, a beautiful length, and clear potential that will require a few more years to fully develop and reveal itself.

Échézeaux 2008 2009

Area under cultivation: 4.6737 hectares. Average age of vines: 35 years.

2009 : 2009 was a sunny vintage, particularly in August and September, but without the "excesses" of 2003, 2015, 2018, or 2019; a vintage also marked by relatively generous yields due to early flowering. "It's worth noting that there was a good amount of rain in the spring, creating a water reserve that proved important for allowing the grapes to ripen well under the late-season sun," recalls Aubert de Villaine. On the Échezeaux, which is probably the grand cru the most "affordable" young person of Domaine of La Romanée- Conti This 2009 vintage displays a beautiful, intense color with very little sign of aging. Aromas of sweetness, faded flowers, spices, and licorice... The palate is velvety, tender, silky, elegant, full-bodied, and fleshy, very typical of the climate, full of sunshine, and the wine's ethereal structure makes it superbly delicious to drink today.

2008 : In Burgundy, just a decade ago, no two years were alike; this is less true today… The warm sunshine of 2009 was preceded by the rain and cool weather of 2008, which lasted until mid-September, before the sun and a north wind made an almost miraculous return to save the harvest. A few weeks of fine, dry, sunny, and cool weather were enough to produce an excellent vintage. chardonnay ; we have always been much more ambivalent about pinot noir … This Échezeaux has a light, bright ruby-colored robe. The domaine remained true to his philosophy of vinification whole-cluster fermentation (70% in this Échezeaux) brings a pure, tangy fruitiness, a seductive, delicate, almost evanescent aromatic expression that is very rarely found in rouge In 2008, when vegetal notes often dominate in Burgundy, the palate is delicate and harmonious, with crisp fruit and toasty, mentholated notes. A moment of pure bliss… “In this type of vintage, it’s possible to succeed and produce beautiful red wines with a distinctly classic structure, provided that yields are kept low from the outset and the grapes are rigorously sorted; the vine never forgets its initial load,” reminds Aubert de Villaine.

Romanée-Saint-Vivant 2003

Vineyard area: 5,285 hectares. Average vine age: 45 years. “We started harvesting on August 27th, after two or three light thunderstorms that brought some rain and, more importantly, lowered the temperatures, allowing us to harvest in better conditions. The alcohol levels never rose very high, barely reaching 13%, due to a kind of water stress in the vines; yet, at the end of maceration, I found the wines had a slightly port-like character. This generally diminished over time,” comments Aubert de Villaine. A beautiful, intense, deep color, showing little evolution. The nose is rather unremarkable for a vintage as exceptionally hot as 2003: aromas of slightly jammy black fruit, spices, chocolate, faded rose, etc. On the first palate, the wine is still somewhat austere, quite typical of Saint-Vivant, with substance, a pure, almost saline line, and a slight hint of overripeness on the finish. With aeration, the wine retains its precision while gaining richness, fleshiness, and a velvety texture, a kind of lusciousness imparted by time and often found in good 2003s today.

The Task 2000

Area: 6,062 hectares (monopoly). Average age of vines: 50 years. "2000 is one of those classic, very successful, very Burgundian vintages. It all started with a rapid flowering, in just a few days, which resulted in a beautiful harvest picked as early as mid-September. After a mediocre summer, as is often the case at this time of year, it was the return of the sun in September that allowed the grapes to ripen well; nevertheless, some sorting was necessary," recalls Aubert de Villaine. Aromas still discreet on the first nose, but delicate, subtle, with floral and menthol notes… These great wines, meant for aging, often need time to open up… Upon aeration, the elegant wine, but a little narrow on the first sip, gradually gained substance, flesh, lusciousness, fruit, juice, aromatic complexity and even color to leave the impression of a complete, fresh, very harmonious, refined wine, which is approaching its peak.

Romanée-Saint-Vivant 1999

"Given the favorable weather conditions and the much more abundant harvest than usual, we decided that year to do two harvests across the entire vineyard." domaine in pinot noir : a first harvest of the finest and ripest grapes and a second for the others; the latter proved to be of sufficient quality in 1999 to be bottled with the label of domaine and we marketed it as Vosne-Romanée premier cru This two-harvest technique was repeated in 2000 and 2001. "With the work carried out in the vineyard since then and the warming climate, these two-stage harvests have not been practiced for several years now," explains Aubert de Villaine. Nevertheless, this 1999 "first harvest" is a stunner! The intense garnet color suggests a very young wine, four or five years old. Rich, soft, elegant aromas of black fruit, flowers, spices, and licorice... A sumptuous palate of richness, generosity, and absolute indulgence, without a hint of harshness. The tannins are velvety and silky, the black fruit stewed, all with great length on the palate, elegance, and perfect balance.

Grands-Échézeaux 1990

Area under vine: 3.5263 hectares. Average vine age: 30 years. Like 2000, 1990 was also a vintage of early flowering and generous yields, but the comparison ends there. The sun blessed the 1990 vintage and the domaine The year's quantitative problem was solved by its policy of regulating yields from the ground up, starting with pruning, bud removal, etc. A beautiful, intense, brilliant, and clear color. Deep, discreet aromas, with pronounced floral notes, smoky, mentholated, jammy, and chocolatey hints… “On the palate, the body begins to become less opulent, and the spirit emerges,” comments Aubert de Villaine. Spirit, elegance, and refinement, all in service of a silky, delicate Grands-Échezeaux, with a beautiful length on the palate, fine and sensual.

Grand cru blanc Montrachet 2011

Cultivated area: 67 ares 59 centiares. Average age of vines: over 60 years. "Montrachet is a grand cru which has the talent to retain freshness, even when the grapes are harvested at their peak ripeness. We therefore strive to achieve the most complete ripeness, sugar level, and skin tone possible. This often leads us to harvest last, but not in 2011. A storm in late August/early September caused some grapes to turn; there was a bit of botrytis, and we finally decided to harvest on September 6th,” explains Aubert de Villaine. A brilliant golden color. Enchanting aromas, with a “baker-pastry chef” style, notes of vanilla éclair, frangipane, yellow fruits, spices, and toast, all with great finesse and brilliance. The wine is creamy, opulent, luscious, juicy, well-balanced, and already delicious to drink, like many 2011 whites today (not the vintage of the century in 2011). chardonnay ), but it's a Montrachet and you can also feel that it has something left in reserve.

Christophe TUPINIER

Publishing Director