✒ Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 2019
There is only one annual wine event in Britain where you are guaranteed to see every British wine critic and commentator of note in one room: The Domaine de la Romanée-Conti tasting, which takes place at Corney & Barrow’s office (they have the Domaine’s exclusive distribution in the United Kingdom), conveniently close to the Tower of London. The exclusive, stiff-card invitation is the hottest ticket in town, the chance to taste the world’s most revered and sought-after wines, and the opportunity to say hello to Aubert de Villaine, who in the wine world is seen as very close to God.
Last year the event was cancelled due to Covid, so there was even more of a frisson than normal – even the most sceptical, hardened British critics are not inured to the excitement of tasting the latest DRC vintages. Adding to the sense of expectation was the first tasting of the Domaine’s Corton-Charlemagne, a tiny (2.9 hectare) holding leased in 2018 from Domaine Bonneau du Martray.
The tasting had been split into different rooms, and I was fortunate enough to be allocated a time- slot in the boardroom upstairs, fortunate because the light streaming through on the white tablecloth could not have lit the wines more beautifully.
Maybe it was the clear February light that enhanced the colours of the 2019 vintage, but I was struck by the visual aspect of this vintage (luminous was the word I kept writing), like exquisitely dyed gossamer fabric with moonlight pouring through. All of which sounds poetic, and not very analytical, but there are times when the usual lexicon to describe wine simply doesn’t apply. I once asked the late Paul Pontallier of Château Margaux what separated a really good wine from a great wine. His reply? “A truly great wine provokes an emotion.” That is something the wines of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti never fail to do.
The 2019 vintage was unlike any other in living memory. The nearest historical comparison according to the Domaine, is the 1865 vintage, which in a pamphlet by Jacques-Marie Duvault Blochet, an ancestor of the de Villaine family, was described as “a very great year in the 19th century, offered intense heat, extreme sugar concentration and a harvest around the 20th September.” Fast forward 154 years later to find the winter of 2018 mild, with little rain--which is desirable at that time of year—and Spring offering beautiful weather, which allowed the biodynamic treatments to be reduced to a historical minimum. Flowering began at the very beginning of June, protracted due to hydric stress which in turn caused significant coulure and millerandage (small underdeveloped grapes). Summer hot weather set in with a stubborn north wind and little rain, but luckily the nights were cool, which offered a respite for the vines. Two major heatwaves, one in June and one in July, saw the vines shut down and a few berries were literally roasted. Overall temperatures in 2019 were higher than 2003 but the Domaine’s vines have adapted stylistically and also in terms of yields. Aubert de Villaine puts this down to deeper roots and lower yields, a reinforcement of the principles of biodynamic viticulture.
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Corton 2019 – Hedonistic, uplifted perfumed bouquet which grabs the imagination from the get-go. Silken tannins hold firm layers: rich, full, brimming with freshness. Elegant and effortless. 13% alcohol.
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Échézeaux 2019 – Colour translucent damson plum, nose more subdued than the Corton, but spice and raspberry leaf showing after a while. Restrained power on the palate with wonderful savoury meaty juices layered with wild sage, mint and a tumble of red and blackberries, with hints of dark chocolate providing a melange of satisfying and moreish flavours which persist powerfully to the end. 14% alcohol.
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands Échézeaux 2019 – Translucent ruby, enticing nose with hints of nutmeg amongst the flowers; the palate is tightly coiled, layer of dark blackberries, pure, with the refined muscularity of a top racehorse, a sense of superb power, compressed, waiting to explode. 14.5% alcohol.
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg 2019 – Luminous mid-ruby colour, nose shy and not giving much, you can sense the fruit and mineral here, a slowness to reveal itself. On the palate, this Richebourg unfurls slowly and seductively, teasing and demanding your attention. Glorious layers of rich late summer fruit, suave and subtle. Ethereal and utterly intriguing. 13.5% alcohol.
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-St-Vivant 2019 – Joyous, uplifted nose of black cherries dancing out of the glass. On the palate an explosion of ripe summer fruit. If this were a painting it would be a Van Gogh, as it overwhelms you with a riot of flavours madly dancing around the palate. Firm silky tannins keep everything in check – the most hedonistic wine of the tasting. 14% alcohol.
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 2019 – Stop the clocks – this was my coup de coeur, one of those legendary wines you will never forget. Luminous deep damson in colour, the nose diverting you from the land of analysis to the land of imagination, arriving in a dark forest filled with wild ripe fruit, a ride of a lifetime across the palate, a sensation of controlled energy, richness and denseness of fruit, seamlessly layered to provide an unforgettable taste of greatness. 13.5% alcohol.
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti 2019 – Deep translucent ruby in colour, exquisite perfumed nose of Gallicia roses mixed with hints of exotic spice, on the palate purity, elegance and power combined, the balance and precision all come to mind before any thoughts of fruit. Rather like seeing a ballet dancer at the height of his or her powers, this effortless wine just mesmerises. Thrilling. 13.5% alcohol.
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Corton-Charlemagne 2019 – The debut vintage from Domaine Romanée-Conti for this wine, a tiny 2.9-hectare plot leased in 2018 from Domaine Bonneau du Martray, and what a debut it is. Golden yellow in colour, the bouquet is a symphony of rich ripe fruit, oyster shells, and flowers. The palate is generous with layers of citric fruit, cream, ground hazelnuts all surrounded by a girdle of acidity which drives a freshness and lightness through this opulent wine. A stunning debut. 14% alcohol.
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