© Raymond Blake/Wine Searcher | DRC wine production may be lower in 2021, but prices remain high.
Perrine Fenal, co-director of Domaine de Le Romanée-Conti (DRC), said while introducing the 2021 vintage at a recent wine launch in London: “The rules of nature, we We will adapt as best we can.”
A succinct and apt comment on the challenges faced during the growing season, 2021 has already entered Burgundian folklore with meteorological infamy.The weather god has thrown us all kinds of trials and tribulations. Les Vignerons – And then some.
The spring frost that hit in early April was a decisive moment, setting the stage for a testing season. The DRC used candles for the first time to protect some vineyards, but as his other co-director of the winery, Bertrand de Vilaine, pointed out, this was an inaccurate procedure. There may be. When they were placed in the most frost-prone sections of La Tache, the lower slopes, they instead affected the tops of the vineyards. ('Candle' is a literal translation from French. Bougie. In English, “smudge pot” is a more accurate term. )
Yields were low, in some cases horribly low. Rather than talking about liters per hectare, we get a clearer message by comparing the number of bottles produced in 2021 with the previous year. The exact scale of the loss can be determined by checking the labels of the two vintages, 2020 and 2021. The production quantity is listed on the label. Nothing shows more clearly how bad the cuts were than these numbers. Colton Charlemagne went from 18,362 in 2020 to 1,975 in 2021. Richebourg decreased from 11,898 to 4,262. The number of people in La Tache was almost halved, from 14,844 to 6,947. Although it can be said that Romanée-Conti himself got away easily, only Reduced from 6003 to 4835. And yet…
Despite all the hardships, some great wines were produced, especially Romanée Saint Vivant and La Tache.
wine
Vosne Romanée Premier Cru Cuvée Duveau Brochet In 2021, this wine included 0.40 hectares of grapes from DRC-owned Les Petits Monts. Les Petits Monts is a premier cru located upriver from Richebourg and is typically bottled separately for French restaurants. It also included parts of La Tache, Grand Echezeaux, and Echezeaux.
It is truly a vintage example. A nice juicy rasp of cherry and strawberry, but not a lot of substance behind it. It's a little stiff in places.
Provided for sale to business partners only.
colton The Corton Hills are undoubtedly the most notable geographical feature on the Côte d'Or. Plump and wide-hip, it is surrounded by a belt of vineyards, with La Doisserigny to the east, Alloz and Corton to the south, and Pernan to the west. Virgiles as if chasing the sun. The first vintage of this wine was his 2009, and de Vilaine says: “This is still a new story for us.”
Attractive sweet fruit scent. You can feel the fresh ripples of cherry in your mouth. The sourness is a little tingly. A light framework, a loose weave in the sense of texture, so to speak. At this price, I would expect a more satisfying taste and a broader range of flavors.
Echezeaux When people talk about the intricate plots of Burgundy's Grand Cru vineyards, Clos de Vougeot is always the subject of ritual bashing. This is the standard-bearer for a level of fragmentation that defies logic and understanding. However, its smaller neighbor is easily comparable in this regard. His 38 hectares are divided into approximately 50 domaines. In fact, DRC's holdings of 4.67 hectares are equivalent to the sum of its 21 smallest holdings combined.
This is a huge improvement from the previous two wines. It's still not amazing, but it's a move in the right direction. Refreshing red fruits come to the fore, with a hint of sweetness that fills the light palate. Moderate length.
Grand Echezeau The vineyard is just over 9 hectares in size, and DRC owns more than a third of the plot, located right in the middle. Grand Echezeaux is also far less subdivided than its younger sibling, although Perrine Fenal commented in 2021 that the pair were “less sibling-like than usual”.
A wild scent that lingers in your nose as you welcome sauvage I missed it. The palate has beautiful poise, depth and substance, with gentle tannins adding structure. Dark fruits complement the lively cherries and strawberries, leading to a tingly aftertaste.
Romanée Saint Vivant There has always been a debate between Romanée Saint-Vivant and Richebourg as to which wine is preferred by critics. I usually prefer the latter, but Romanée beat Richebourg in this vintage. In fact, the only one that decisively surpassed it was La Tache.
Elegant and delicate, but not weak, it is mouthwateringly delicious, with lovely sweet spices adding an exotic aroma. A delicious compilation of juicy, sweet red fruits that deliver a dazzling flavor. Long enough to sing. I can drink this now.
Richebourg DRC owns approximately 4 hectares of land spread over three parcels in Richebourg, about the same area as all 10 other domaines combined. The vineyard is on a par with Romanée-Conti, but it is certainly difficult to see a clear difference between the two. The wines match the name and are always full and structured.
A bright grassy aroma mixes with a dark meaty aroma that lingers on the nose.
A meatier wine compared to Romanée Saint Vivant, it lacks its delicate charm. Dark fruits and mild botanical notes add depth and complexity. You need time to calm down. Romanée Saint Vivant is an attractive and dignified wine.
La Tache Imagine a ballet dancer singing a wonderful aria. That's her 2021 La Tache. “It's absolutely gorgeous now,” de Vilaine said, capturing the wine's pure, majestic beauty with an unforgettable soundbite. Fenal further added, “This is a synthesis of all the challenges we faced in 2021… It gives me joy.” If ever a vineyard could rise above the trials and tribulations of the growing season, La Tache did just that in 2021.
Aromas and flavors of ripe, fresh red fruits. The tangy sourness of sherbet. Tannins whisper in the background. Clean and fresh, dancing in your mouth. An essay with a lasting delicacy. Amazingly simple. Direct and persistent. Oh, I'm very satisfied. If the ultimate test of a wine's quality is length of finish, then this La Tache passes it easily, delivering a finish, resonance, and reverberation for several minutes after swallowing, sparkling in the throat and inviting. will captivate all your senses.
Finally, La Tache is about three times the size of Romanée-Conti and typically costs about a third of the price. This suggests that if it were scaled down to the same size as a Romanée-Conti, the price would be the same as a higher-end product. wine. On this tasting alone, it's worth charging the same price as its more famous sibling.
Romanée-Conti Nothing can be added to the volume of legends and lore that surrounds this 1.8 hectare of the world's most famous agricultural land. Many people come to worship the stone cross that marks the vineyard. This spot is truly worthy of the title of “selfie center of the wine world.''
The plush, full-bodied nose foreshadowed an equally full-bodied, solid palate, with a refreshing bite of slightly harsh tannins that was almost forbidding. A richer flavor than any other wine (only rivaled in this respect is Richebourg). It differs from La Tache in so many ways. It's more structured and focused. Deeper, broader flavor. A barely contained sense of power.
colton charlemagne DRC cultivates 3 hectares in Corton-Charlemagne, divided into four plots: one at the bottom of the slope, two in the middle and one at the top. This is only his third vintage they have made, but the yield was so low that he replaced his previous practice of keeping the four parcels separate and then blending them to more fully express the terroir. Unlike, we brewed the four compartments together. “I'm proud of this wine, but I'm not trying to brag,” Fenal declared in a relieved tone. It's a testament to their hard work that the team managed to wring such a juicy morsel out of a near-defeat situation.
Bright lemon gold color. A rich, buttery aroma with sweet notes of tropical fruit and citrus. Tropical fruits are felt initially on the palate, with more robust citrus fruits emerging only after repeated tastings. Calm and accurate. Deliciously pure, polished and smooth, not a hair out of place. The crystal-clear flavor melts gently into the palate, leaving a long aftertaste.
The tasting was hosted by Corney & Barrow, the UK distributor for Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.
Join the conversation by commenting on our social media channels.
