This is the first of three posts from the biennial meeting of the various Domaine de la Romanee-Conti agents from round the world. On the second morning we tasted the 2012's from bottle with 1 hour in the glass before tasting.
Domaine de la Romanee-Conti 2012’s
I have not commented on the colours here for two reasons, I am not good at it and in all honesty I do not feel it tells you a great deal at this stage.
My over-riding impression is of wines with
a wonderful balance of fruit density and proper/serious structure, I imagine
the vast majority will close down a fair bit in the next 2-3 years, this appears to me to be a vintage for the
long term, like the 2010’s. While there will be charm early I think these wines
need and demand time (more so than 2007, 2009 and 2011 for instance).
No Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru “Duvault-Blochet” was made in 2012 (nor in 2013). You may think given the name of this blog that this would be a disappointment but in honesty I like that it is not made each year. One day I would love to sit down and taste them all...
Corton
Charming, quite dark fruit, the nose is true to Corton but with charm. You can feel the whole bunch vinification. The palate
at this stage does not have the density, nor depth, of fruit that you get from
the nose. There is good grip but it is not overpowering. Complexity will come
with time for sure.
On re-visiting at the end of the tasting
and with more air the forest fruits were coming out.
Score: 17-17.5
Drink: 2020-2030
Echezeaux
A shade reductive, which I like, lovely "complete" nose with an earthy element, multidimensional. There is fruit and as
usual for the Domaine's Echezeaux it is red, it releases more and more with the air and swirling. The
palate is red fruited also, more delicately but it grows. There is a good structure,
not harsh but definite, very grown-up. I like this a lot, a very good
Echezeaux.
On re-visiting at the end of the tasting
and with more air it became more decadent and of course less reductive, the
fruit is ever so slightly degraded, real complexity – I’m very impressed.
score:18.5+
drink: 2021-2034+
Grands
Echezeaux
Less animal and more primary than Echezeaux
in character, though less expressive, may be the most muted of all the wines in
this tasting. Very complete, quite brooding and serious, alluring and academic.
On re-visiting at the end of the tasting
and with more air it made me think that this will go more to the savoury end of
the spectrum in time.
score: 18 – 18+
drink: 2022-2032+
Romanee-Saint-Vivant
I seem to love this wine more every year. I
also feel the purity of fruit character is the closest to that of
Romanee-Conti itself. Mellow yet precise red fruits hit you. There is a light
freshness of orange peel as well. Easier to assess and easier to love than
Grands Echezeaux. To counter the red fruit there is a gentle white pepper spice
that I often find in Romanee-Saint-Vivant, it never overpowers but always
balances the fruit. Very poised and attractive on the nose. It is though the
seriousness of the palate that I think really marks the outstanding quality of
this wine. Whilst the nose makes you flirt with it the palate makes you sit up
and pay attention. There is a depth of minerality on the palate that lifts the
complexity of the wine and makes it so moreish, a persistent and fine structure
here that almost goes unnoticed but is there as a serious frame to the lovely
fruit. As might be obvious I have really rather “fallen” for this wine.
On re-visiting I was delighted to have all
the above confirmed, this is a superb Romanee-Saint-Vivant – seriousness to
balance the attractiveness.
score: 18.5 – 19
drink: 2022-2035++
Richebourg
Tasting and reveling in the differences
between Romanee-Saint-Vivant and Richebourg is one of the greatest parts of any
tasting with the Domaine’s wines. Darker-fruit, more cherried and with some
damson there is a certainty about Richebourg a rugged confidence, just short of
swagger and so it is here. The palate shows a little less weight of fruit than
the nose, not quite so brooding, more charm. The structure is clear but ripe.
On revisiting I found the biggest
difference of all the wines, some animal a little graphite and cool savoury
minerality as well as a good structure, may be the sleeper?
score: 18 - 18.5+
drink: 2024 – 2036++
La
Tache
I got a tiny note of “grain” or as I noted,
popcorn “unpopped”, immediately the glass was swirled it went. La Tache is so
often the “confident senior sibling” and so it was here. The glass that was
most empty at the end of the tasting. I find this often the hardest to describe
but then tend to waffle. There is an earthy power, some links to Echezeaux here,
that is very La Tache, this is expressively complex, more “sharp minded Bon
Viveur” less the “intense academic”…There is a lovely structure a little mouthwatering
dryness that leads to a dash of pepper, pink not white, herbs and gentle spice.
With more air it gets more complete and harder to describe, this is a serious
La Tache for the long term but as ever it is also charming and welcoming.
On re-visiting the above was just
confirmed.
score: 18.5-19+
drink: 2022-2036+
Romanee
Conti
The lift of fruited excellence that you see
in Romanee-Saint-Vivant with some of the earthy complexity in the background
that was evident in Echezeaux and La Tache, lovely. A striking balance of black
and red fruits, powerful and brooding yet not too closed or too tense. This is
serious, a keeper. There is sweetness but it is kept in check with a persistent
and definite, if lightly worn, structure. To say the integration of the fruit,
structure and texture is perfect is too technical but so true.
On revisiting there is so much depth and
complexity, near perfect.
score: 19.5+
drink: 2024-2040+
Le
Montrachet
The colour is confusing as everything is
there, flashes of green, yellow, gold even. Real power and almost a spritz of
youth. There are notes of brine and lowland malt mixed with white flowers and
yellow fruits that stop just short of the tropical. The palate is so lively, so
driven and focused, as was commented there is an almost Corton-Charlemagne tension like, verve and drive to the attack then the tongue is left in no doubt that this is
Montrachet. There is an impression of sweetness and a textural weight to come.
My hand written notes finish with “Epic potential”. This may well be a
legend…so sad that there is so little but may be that plays a part?
score: 19-20
drink: 2019 – 2032++
 |
| Bernard Noblet spoke about the vintage after we tasted. |
One
additional observation:
Were I to pair the reds on the basis of
similarities of overall character it would be easy to my mind:
Corton
with
Richebourg
Echezeaux
with La
Tache
Romanee-Saint-Vivant
with
Romanee-Conti
As always, a privilege to taste the whole line-up and even more so to do it in Vosne-Romanee itself.
