Domaine de la Romanee-Conti continued to spearhead the wine auction scene in 2014, with Sotheby’s alone selling $8.9m of its wines. Here, Gerard Basset OBE MW MS, Decanter’s Burgundy correspondent, offers his notes and scores on the newly released DRC 2012 vintage, held at the offices of Corney & Barrow in London.
Burgundy 2012 vintage overview:
Like many of the very recent vintages in Burgundy, it was a challenging year for the producers. The 2012 growing season did not start well. But, by the second half of the summer, the weather conditions were much more clement and changed the fortune of the vintage. Many of the top estates have produced really classy wines and this is certainly the case with Domaine de la Romanee-Conti (DRC).
Aubert de Villaine, DRC co-owner, last week described the 2012 vintage as one of the best in recent years, despite a significant drop in the volume of wine produced, due to difficult weather conditions.
Romanee-Conti, Echezeaux 2012
18.25/20 (94/100pts)
Extremely approachable already
. Medium ruby with a purple rim. Superb rose petal nose but also red fruit and hints of cured meat. Beautiful juicy strawberry on the palate, and a lovely supple texture with a wild spices finish.
Romanee-Conti, Grands-Echezeaux
18.25/20 (94/100pts)
Beautiful intensity. Medium ruby with a pink rim. Very elegant black fruit on the nose with some very subtle hints of mocha. Wild berry fruit on the palate with a firm but ripe texture and a sweet spicy finish.
Romanee-Conti, Romanee-St-Vivant
18/20 (93/100pts)
Delicate and elegant. Medium ruby with a violet rim. Lovely ripe cherry nose but with elegant notes of forest floor, too. Sweet fruit and wild spices on the palate, silky with a superb cassis finish.
Romanee-Conti, Richebourg
19/20 (96/100pts)
Superb character. Medium ruby with a purple rim. Superbly perfumed with a lovely combination of sweet blackberry, rose petal and cinnamon. Delicious summer pudding on the palate with a velvety texture and a lovely chocolate fudge finish.
Romanee-Conti, La Tache
19.5/20 (98/100pts)
An amazing wine continually changing in the glass and showing amazing complexity already. Medium full ruby with a pink rim. Wild berry, Asian spices and forest floor on the nose. Wild strawberry and raspberry on the palate with a truly succulent texture and a long cinnamon ice cream finish.
Romanee-Conti, La Romanee-Conti
19.25/20 (97/100pts)
Highly elegant. Medium ruby with a purple rim. Beautiful raspberry and cherry and some delicate rose petal aromas on the nose. Lovely cherry and cinnamon on the palate, with a gorgeous silky texture and a long white truffle finish.
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Written by Gerard Basset
