Domaine
de la Romanée- Conti 2008
The latest releases from this amazing Burgundy domaine
Corney & Barrow, 28th January 2011
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti is one of
the world’s greatest wine domains. It’s thrilling wines are
scarily expensive – but even if you can afford them, the real
issue is getting hold of them.
Fortunately, each year Corney &
Barrow (www.corneyandbarrow.com)
– who have exclusivity of these wines in the UK – put on a
tasting for trade and press, so those of us who aren’t exceedingly
wealthy can assess the latest vintage. Today, they were showing the
2008s.
Now 2008 was a tricky vintage indeed, but
the wines are still, as you would expect, remarkably good. It’s
the sort of Burgundy vintage I like – paler colour, high acidity,
lovely freshness. I think these wines will live for a long time,
largely because of the lovely acidity they possess.
Richebourg was a bit odd. Still lovely,
but with a slightly confected red cherry character to the fruit, and
very firm yet fine-grained structure. Echézeaux and Grands Echézeaux
were more dark cherry in fruit profile, and quite expressive, with
some nice greenness – and the latter showing quite firm structure.
Romanée-St-Vivant was exotic and open,
with stern spiciness and green sappy notes reining in the exuberant
fruit. Real potential. La Tache was stern, spicy, grippy and in need
of a lot of patience – probably the most backward wine in the
line-up. Romanée-Conti was the highlight, with spellbinding
complexity, and a nice tension between the sweet fruit and the
green, spicy, savoury notes.
It’s not the most seductive line-up
from DRC, but 2008 looks like a beautifully fresh, savoury year that
will reward patience, and should be more to the tastes of real
Burgundy lovers than point-chasing status drinkers, who might find
the wines a bit difficult.
What would I buy? Echézeaux (£175 a
bottle in bond) and Romanée-St-Vivant (£432.50/bottle) are the
stand-outs. £1616.67 for a bottle of the Romanée-Conti is just a
little too much.
THE
WINES
DRC Echézeaux Grand Cru 2008
Sweet, almost profound dark cherry fruit nose with taut green
herbal notes and subtle hints of tar and spice. There’s a savoury
edge here. The plaate is fresh and beautifully supple with dark
cherry fruit, taut spicy structure and subtle green notes. A really
beautiful, expressive Burgundy with a nice, slightly green
savouriness on the finish. 94/100
DRC Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru 2008
Dark cherry and herb nose with some roast coffee notes.
Assertive dark cherry character. The palate is quite structured and
savoury with some firmness to it. Light bodied but with elegance and
freshness. Savoury, mineral edge to the palate with some greenness,
and a grippy finish. There’s already some beauty here but this
will need time to develop properly. 94/100
DRC Richebourg Grand Cru 2008
Enticing sweetness to the nose. Ripe, sweet and cherryish with
sweet red berries and a surprising confectionary note. The palate is
concentrated with fresh red berry fruit and red cherry notes. Very
fresh with fine structure. A surprising wine, for its red
berry/cherry fruit. 94/100
DRC Romanée-St-Vivant Grand Cru 2008
Lovely perfume here: black and red cherries, fine spices and
savoury freshness. Already exotic and open. The palate has a
pleasing green sappy quality and some stern spiciness, with fresh
cherry fruit. Good acidity. Very pure with good structure. A
complete wine that’s nicely savoury with real potential. 96/100
DRC La Tâche Grand Cru 2008
There’s a lovely stern spiciness to the nose here,
which shows earthy notes and some dark cherry and red berry
fruit, as well as a bit of spicy, roasted oak. The palate has a
stern, savoury character with a spicy quality under the fresh dark
cherry and red berry fruit. Taut and in need of time, with savoury,
grippy structure. 94/100
DRC Romanée Conti Grand Cru 2008
Beautifully complex, with sweet red cherry/berry fruits and some
nice ethereal green notes. There nice tension between the fruit
sweetness and the green, spicy, savoury notes. The palate is
concentrated with sweet, expressive fruit and some sterner savoury
notes. Lovely red cherry and berry fruit, as well as good acidity.
Fresh and lively with delicate yet firm spicy structure. Structured
and profound, this needs time. 97/100
Domaine
de la Romanée Conti releases:
See
also: Visiting Clos du Tart
Published
01/11
Wines tasted 01/11
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