Few estates in the world command as much fascination and awe today as that from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti - the regular happenings (and unsurprised reactions towards) of record breaking auction prices of the legendary Vosne-Romanée wines certainly substantiate as much.

Yet despite the heaps of books, texts, discussions and educating, it never feels like anyone - the world, really - can really get a handle on how this 25 hectare 6,000-8,000 cases per year producing winery does it, that is to make some of the most lauded and magical wines that are not only elegant, profound, long-lived and intense, but also showcase so exemplarily the varied typicity of Vosne-Romanée's Crus. It's at once mystical, mysterious and also consistent to a fault, with claims to some of the highest prices paid for any wine in history.

So today, with the help of the Sommelier Association of Singapore, whose very own Gerald Lu (the President, and also who runs Praelum Wine Bistro) has made this grand masterclass and tasting into a reality, with also the wines supplied by FICOFI's Optim Wines, we're going to learn about the world's most revered wine estate - Domaine de la Romaneé Conti.

 

A statue of Saint Vivant stands at Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.

 

A History Of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti

It all starts in 1232 when the Benedictine monks of Abbey of Saint Vivant in Vosne (pronounced Vohn) are granted a small parcel of 1.8 hectares of vines that they begin tending to. These vines were thought to be previously farmed by the Romans and hence the name Romanée (pronounced Roh-Mah-Nay). Over the next centuries, the monastery would amass more vines, which even then was already recognised as being able to produce quality wines, under the name Cru de Clos, going for as much as 6x the price of the wines from nearby Clos de Vougeot, a fellow future Grand Cru. Incredibly even then what is today's Romaneé-Conti vineyards were already traced out and delineated as early as the 13th Century, when it was known as the Clos des Cinq Journaux (later taking on the name Cros de Cloux).

Yet at some point it was said that the Benedictine monks began to lose interest in farming wines and began to lease the vines instead to local growers. It was then in the late 1500's to early 1600's (most mark it at 1631) that the vineyards would come into the hands of Philippe de Croonembourg, who would officially call the vineyards La Romanée. de Croonembourg would also come to acquire the now famous La Tâche vineyard (pronounced Lah Tash), one of two of Domaine de la Romanée Conti's monopoles (a distinct appellation vineyard that is owned and controlled by a single winery), and also perhaps its most contested vineyard (it would later be redistributed to a general of Napoleon's, Louis Liger-Belair, before eventually coming under Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's stable once again in 1933). 

 

(Left to Right): Louis-François Bourbon Prince de Conti, King Louis XV, Madame de Pompadour.

 

Now de Croonembourg's great-grandson, Andre de Croonembourg, would in 1760 decide to sell the estate, which resulted in a great bidding war - at the time, its wines were already starting to rack up a great reputation and were highly priced. Madame de Pompadour, the mistress of King Louis XV, and Louis-François Bourbon Prince de Conti, the first cousin of the same king, were then bitter enemies and would make it each their mission to ensure that the other would not have the illustrious vineyards - the Prince of Conti would win the estate, offering to pay 8,000 livres (more than 10x the price of any vineyard of the region), and in an act of defiance, keep its entire production for himself! As an enduring mark of his ownership, he would also add his name to the estate, making it now the La Romanée-Conti estate.

The reign of Louis-François Bourbon over the vineyards in question would nevertheless run relatively short, with his death just 16 years later in 1776, which left the estate to his son Louis-François-Joseph de Bourbon, the new Prince of Conti. Yet by 1794, the French Revolution was in full swing, and the vineyards, like many others across France, would be seized by the state and put up for sale, with Louis-François-Joseph de Bourbon arrested. Nicolas Defer de la Nouerre, a notable French engineer, would acquire the estate and soon after sell it to French financier, Julien Ouvrard. 

 

 

1869 is largely seen as the year that Domaine de la Romanée-Conti truly began its modern chapter, when the estate finally came into the hands of Jacques-Marie Duvault-Blochet, a Burgundian wine merchant and oenologist, and who would in his lifetime assemble one of the world's greatest collections of Grand Cru parcels.

"Romanée-Conti was sort of a crowning of Duvault-Blochet's buying career,... He put together a property of 137 hectares. He was already in Echézeaux, Grands Echézeaux, Richebourg and Les Gaudichots (today La Tâche). We only enlarged in Echézeaux, we bought Romanée-St.-Vivant, La Tâche and Montrachet. The biggest part of the domaine today comes from Duvault-Blochet." says Aubert de Villaine, perhaps Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's most recognisable co-owner (co-gérant) and 5th-generation Duvault-Blochet.

 

 

Duvault-Blochet's grand estates would eventually be inherited by his great-grand children, Marie-Dominique-Madeleine Chambon and Jacques Chambon, along with their two cousins. It was then Marie-Dominique-Madeleine Chambon who would marry one Edmond Gaudin de Villaine in 1906. If Duvault-Blochet had put together the canvas that was Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, it was then Gaudin de Villaine who laid the foundations for the estate. Gaudin de Villaine would take on the role of manager of the estate and would eventually purchase any outstanding shares from his cousin-in-laws, also going as far as to trademark the very Domaine de la Romanée-Conti name. What can you say, the man meant business!

"My grandfather started to manage the property and became passionate with it,... He realized how precious it was and part of history. He was somebody who took the domaine through very difficult times without ever giving up, making the ends meet with his farms in the Alliers." says Aubert de Villaine, grandson to Edmond Gaudin de Villaine.

 

The de Villaine and Leroy family has guided the Domaine successively in partnership for now four generations.

 

Yet despite Romaneé-Conti's longstanding repute as a terroir capable of producing outstanding wines, the early 1900's was not kind to not just the region, but the vineyards of France in entirety - Phylloxera had steadily swept the country, with two World War's sandwiching the Great Depression, pretty much leaving not just vineyards in a sorry state but the market for France's wines completely obliterated, with little financial resources that remained for recovery. It was then that Gaudin de Villaine's brother-in-law, Jacques Chambon, who had already largely been absent from the estate, would decide to sell his shares given its pessimistic outlook.

The estate was thus formally incorporated with Jacques' half of the shares left at the Notary office in wait of a buyer - this would finally come in the form of on Henri Leroy, a talented and passionate vigneron whose family had already for several generations established the Maison Leroy negociant house in Auxey-Duresses. Gaudin de Villaine had been good friends with Leroy and would thus inform him of the sale, knowing full well that Leroy would bring with him the same passion for upholding the great Burgundian estate, as well as the financial might to stabilise the estate if need be through the coming years that would most certainly bring about a significant transformation. And although Leroy would never actually have to step in to finance the estate, he had loved it dearly and offered it the utmost respect and shielded it during its subsequent decades of rejuvenation, allowing for Domaine de la Romanée-Conti to stay intact - this inarguably bought the estate time to gear up for its rise to stardom. Henri Leroy's purchase of the remaining Chambon's shares would establish the enduring dual ownership structure and dynamic that continues to operate the world's most mythicised wine estate today - two families, the de Villaine's and the Leroy's, each with half-ownership, and therefore each appointing one of its members as co-gérant (co-managers) to the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.

 

Aubert de Villaine inspecting the Domaine's heritage Pinot Fin fruit.

 

Under the helm of Edmond Gaudin de Villaine and Henri Leroy, the estate would undergo an extensive overhaul that was necessary to bring it back up to shape. In 1945, after a particularly biting spring frost, Romanée-Conti's vineyards would produce just two barrels of wines, or 600 bottles, approximately one-tenth of what it was capable of producing - something drastic had to be done. Yet this was not simply a matter of replanting. Romanée-Conti's vineyards (along with a small part of the Richebourg vineyard) had up till that point resisted the use of Phylloxera-resistant American rootstocks grafted with more modern Pinot Noir clones; inarguably what shaped and distinguished Romanée-Conti was its ability to preserve the use of historic Pinot Fin vines (an ancestor to Pinot Noir), prized for their naturally low yields, small clusters and small fruit), which had by then become weakened by Phylloxera treatments.

Gaudin de Villaine and Leroy thus made the difficult call to completely uproot all remaining Pinot Fin vines across Romanée-Conti and Richebourg, allow the vineyard to fallow for two years before replanting them, which would result in its first wines only being produced again in 1952. Yet, this was a calculated bet as the pair had kept a nursery where they had selected the most promising Pinot Fin vines from Romanée-Conti itself, which was then used to replant the same vineyards, this time on American rootstocks. Through these decades, the duo would resist financial pressures from a drop in production, as well as the movement towards industrialisation with the use of heavy machinery and chemicals.

 

Lalou-Bize Leroy, who is credited with pioneering biodynamics in Burgundy.

 

Unfortunately Edmond Gaudin de Villaine would never live to see his estate achieve the success he knew it had the potential for, and would eventually pass along his half of the estate to his son Henri de Villaine, who would continue to co-manage along with Henri Leroy, up until 1974 when both their predecessors, Aubert de Villaine and Lalou-Bize Leroy would step up to take on their equal halves of the mantle. Leroy is often credited as being instrumental in the Domaine's adoption of biodynamic practices, which were in the past far less accepted as it is today, yet unfortunately a commercial dispute in the late 1980's would result in Leroy stepping down in 1992 (which allowed her to focus on her family's historical negociant Maison Leroy, and her own wines under the Domaine Leroy label), eventually replaced by her nephew, the also incredibly talented and intuitive winemaker Henry-Frédéric Roch (who would also establish his own estate, the cult followed Domaine Prieuré-Roch).

 

The incredibly talented Henry Roch, who also established the cult followed Prieuré Roch estate.

  

The following decades would see Aubert de Villaine and Henry Roch expertly navigate Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's success, always maintaining the utmost care to farming their estate, meticulously guiding the making of their wines to the highest quality consistently vintage after vintage - and whether deliberate or otherwise, somehow preserved the mystique associated with their hallowed Vosne-Romanée lands.

 

Aubert de Villaine, who is perhaps the most recognisable face of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, and has masterfully steered the Domaine over almost five decades.

 

The most recognisable face of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in modern times, Aubert de Villaine had not immediately desired to work at the family's estate, instead choosing to study literature and law, before eventually heading to New York to work for the Domaine's American import agent, the Wildman family. It was nevertheless his time spent in California that awakened his desire to return to the family estate - he would not only lay witness to California's emerging wine scene, even having been commissioned by La Revue du Vin de France to interview a then little known Robert Mondavi, as well as having served as a judge in the landmark Judgement of Paris 1976 tasting that pitted the best of California against those of France, which became a watershed moment that vaulted American wines into commercial recognition and success. de Villaine would steer the family's Domaines astutely, marshalling up the consistency it's highly regarded for today through rigorous viticulture work including going first organic and then biodynamic (although de Villaine himself does not align with the super-terrestrial elements of the practice), the avoidance of fertilisers (which de Villaine and Leroy agreed would most importantly protect the vineyard's workers), the return to gentler vineyard work (going so far as to bring back horse ploughing and commissioning a special lighter tractor), establishing Burgundy's first use of a sorting table, as well as the systematic (and costly) testing and propagation of ancestral Pinot Fin vines. 

 

It might surprise some to know that Aubert was asked to participate as a judge at the landmark 1976 Judgement of Paris that vaulted Californian wines into the stratosphere.

 

A humble and modest man, who describes his co-gérant role as simply that of a custodian to the Grand Crus of Vosne-Romanée, de Villaine is often described as eschewing limelight and without pomp or grandiosity. He even recognises the value of his estate's wines in the ongoing education of burgeoning wine lovers, which has led him to keep prices high enough to deter scalpers, yet sufficiently affordable for it to go to those who would truly appreciate the wines. Yet recognising his once-in-a-lifetime position as helming one of the world's most esteemed vineyards, he has sought to wield his influence as positively as possible, pushing for the Côte d'Or to be recognised as a World Heritage Site.

 

Bertrand de Villaine and Perrine Fenal as the incumbent co-gerants of the Domaine.

  

In 2021, de Villaine would opt to step down from his role as co-gérant, having served for 47 years at Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, moving on to an advisory role which allows him to make way for the next generation, whilst still ensuring that he is able to guide them where needed. Due to the unfortunate passing of Henry-Frédéric Roch in 2019, Lalou-Bize Leroy's daughter, Perrine Fenal was thus appointed as co-gérant, representing the Leroy half, whilst de Villaine's stepping down in 2021 saw his nephew, Bertrand de Villaine, appointed as the co-gérant representing the de Villaine's.

With much of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's most linear history covered (with more in-depth dives into specific areas and chapters of its history easily found online), we'll now enter the estate's famous vineyards!

 

Horses used to plow the fields at Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.

 

The Vineyards Of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti

Over the course of over a century, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti has come to own seven Grand Cru vineyards that whilst centered around Vosne-Romanée (with its two monopoles La Romanée-Conti and La Tâche, owned and farmed by just one single owner), also spans the nearby regions of Flagey-Echézeaux and Puligny-Montrachet. The Domaine also regularly leases various vineyards, particularly to shore up its white wines (such as Corton-Charlemagne), with its most prominent being that of the Corton vineyard in Pernand-Vergelesses. It's worth noting that the boundaries of these vineyards have evolved over the years, which have themselves been a topic of wide discussion.

The Domaine de la Romanée-Conti owned vineyards are: La Romanée-Conti, La Tâche (which has combined with it since 1933 the once adjacent Les Gaudichots vineyard), Richebourg, Romanée-Saint-Vivant, Grands-Échezeaux, Échezeaux for the (Pinot Fin/Pinot Noir) reds, with Montrachet and Bâtard-Montrachet (reserved for the family's own consumption and not for sale) for the (Chardonnay) whites. It's primary leased vineyards includes Corton (from Domaine Prince Florent de Merode) for its red and Corton-Charlemagne (from Bonneau du Martray) for its white.

 

 

With each vineyard subject to its own distinct microclimate and terroir, broad similarities can be found, with the Domaine heavily focused on longstanding historically well-regarded plots that also feature significantly older vines (vieilles vignes), and have over the years been cultivated with Romanèe-Conti's pre-1945 Pinot Fin clones so as to produce naturally low yields. The Vosne-Romanée vineyards sitting on well drained slopes composed of iron-rich limestone on a base of rock and marl, with vines about 240 meters above sea level. Its Montrachet holdings are based on limestone rich soils with marl, also featuring ideal drainage on otherwise sunny slopes.

In sum, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti manages 25 hectares, producing some 6,000-8,000 cases per year.

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's vineyards features vines at an average age of 45 years old, and is today farmed fully biodynamically since 2007, with before that having made the conversion to organic in 1986. Its vineyards are not planted to high density (which de Villaine experimented with and found it to be indifferent), and have never been exposed to herbicides or pesticides, with fertilisers and fungicides taken off since the 80's (the only soil supplements used is compost made from crushed roots, grape skins and leftovers from fermentation), which has in turn led to the vineyards' 20% lower yields (25 hl/ha versus the Grand Cru average of 35 hl/ha; the yield of 3 vines equates to one standard bottle of wine for the estate). Much effort is taken to ensure its soils are well-aerated, with horses and special light tractors used for vineyard work.

 

 

Winemaking At Domaine de la Romanée-Conti

As with most great winemakers, de Villaine is of the belief that the most important work to be done is in the vineyards and thus employs a light hand in the cellars, primarily characterised as traditional and classic. Harvest is first done by hand, with the team consistent from year to year, after which the fruit is sorted before being brought to the cellar. The fruit is partially destemmed only in certain vintages, with whole clusters primarily used. A short natural pre-fermentation maceration is first conducted for up to 5 days, where the must is pumped over, until native yeasts begin their work. Forgoing cold fermentation, once fermentation begins, the wine is then punched down once to twice a day in large old wooden barrels, with sunny years requiring less pigeage, the goal of which is to allow for but a gentle infusion as opposed to a full extraction. If the fruit is grown optimally and properly sorted, this will ensure high quality lees, which the estate sees as protecting the wine from oxidation and ensuring freshness in barrel (the Montrachet wine has its lees in suspension to create a richer texture), with also the ability to create a richness of the wines texture.

 

A special beeswax is applied for both authentication purposes and also to regulate the wine's ageing.

 

The wines are then aged for 18 months in 100% new oak barrels (shifting from 50% new oak in the early 1970's, as it was deemed to help clarify the wines during elevage), made by François Frere, a local cooper in Saint-Romain, using wood selected by the Domaine, that is dried for 3-4 years before being constructed into 228-liter barrels. The wines are racked once after malolactic conversion, close to when it is ready to be bottled, and done from barrel to barrel, moved over into one year old barrels so as to minimise oak influence. No fining is done since the 1990 vintage, with only a light filtration when necessary. The bottling is done according to lunar phases, where using gravity, 6 barrels are bottled slowly and gently so as to retain its aromas.

 

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's new home in the historic once Abbey of Saint Vivant.

  

Yet despite the estate's seeming conservativeness, it should be noted that experiments do go on in the cellars, where different temperatures, barrel fermentations and even percentages of stems kept, are constantly being trialed, whilst still keeping the winemaking light and as natural as possible, signalling an openness that is exercised with moderation.

After a century of operating out of the estate's cellars, which was meant initially by Edmond Gaudin de Villaine to be only temporary, Aubert de Villaine would finally have Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's offices and cuverie moved to the refurbished and preserved Abbey that once belonged to the Benedictine monks of Saint Vivant, the very people who once plowed Romanée-Conti's fields in the 13th Century.

 

A grand tasting across several of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's wines.

 

With all that said, it is now time to taste Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's wines and put theory to experience! This tasting includes the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Cuvee Duvault Blochet Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru, Corton, Echézeaux, Grands-Echézeaux, Romanée-St Vivant, Richebourg and La Tâche Monopole.

 

Leading and organising the tasting is Gerald Lu, taking us through a dive on the Vosne appellation and a brief history of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.

 

Once again, a big shoutout to the Sommelier Association of Singapore and Praelum's Gerald Lu for making this tasting happen, working in partnership with Optim Wines (FICOFI), to ensure that for once trade members of the Sommelier Association of Singapore are able to not just serve but better understand these wines!

Let's go!

Wine Review: Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Cuvee Duvault Blochet Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

We start with the Vosne-Romanée that's named after the de Villaine ancestor, Jacques-Marie Duvault-Blochet, who was responsible for amassing much of the vineyard holdings that the Domaine enjoys today. The Cuvee Duvault-Blochet was first introduced in 1999 when it was said that the harvest was so ideal that Aubert de Villaine had decided to undertake a second picking of all the estate's Grand Cru vineyards (except for the Romanée-Conti vineyard, and thus produced this declassified Premier Cru label (opting to use 1er Cru / Premier Cru even though all fruit used comes from Grand Cru vineyards), and thus it is made from young vines in Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's vineyards (with the older vines reserved for the Grand Cru labels). 

Fermentation was done in open wooden vats with native yeasts, and without artificial temperature control. Malolactic fermentation is allowed to take place naturally, with the wine then aged for 16-18 months in 100% new French oak barrels with no fining or filtration.

This is the 2020 vintage.

 

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Ruby

Aroma: Intense and perfumed, it opens deep and powerful with a blend of fresh earthiness and exotic spice. Freshly tilled soil, wood spice, cardamom, with a touch of animal hide. It's incredibly evocative and calls to a deep clay like quality. It's giving thick wet clay with that plasticity. A remarkable depth and aromatic texture! More on dried thyme and rose petals, potpourri, with then a base of supple blackberry and dark cherry bramble, with also blackcurrant sauce. 

Taste: Medium-bodied, it's plush and rich with this velvety texture. The tannins here are really silky yet also very firm. Blackberry, dark cherry and blackcurrants, subtle outline of dried thyme with alittle bit of meaty saltiness as well, yet still very much fruit forward. Wafts of animal hide, with then more on dried fruit, with some of that dried fruit rancio as well of dried sour plums. It already showing some of that mustiness of age, luscious yet with quite the depth of dried macerated fruit. The acidity here is bright yet at the same time rounded and almost sensual.

Finish: More of that animal hide and freshly tilled soil quality, with also that minerality and clay coming back. The salinity here comes bound to the dark fruits, almost of Christmas ham with a blackcurrant sauce. Seamless and linear finish.

My Thoughts

Superbly aromatic, with all that richness and concentration, this delivers that legendary Vosne spice that is often talked about when it comes to wines from this region! It's powerful on the nose, with that cardamom and wood spice, with also such great complexity, amalgamated by dried florals, herbs and also brambly fruits. Yet perhaps what impressed me most is this incredibly evocative depth of aroma of wet clay, slick and thick, that is conveyed with such definition and aromatic texture! On the palate, even as the body come through more concentrated and denser, it still does not bring with it much of a heaviness, with then this silky and velvety tannin structure. It's overall fruit-forward, sporting some signs of age with that sundried fruit rancio, delivering this immensely compelling exotic spice and earthiness. 

 

Wine Review: Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Corton Grand Cru

The Corton vineyard was first leased in 2008 (and harvested in 2009) upon the passing of Prince Florent de Mérode and his wife (who owned the Domaine Prince Florent de Mérode), with his children approaching de Villaine as to whether he would be interested in the arrangement (with the rest of their parents' Domaine's vines sold) - to which de Villaine agreed, believing additionally that Corton's historic location and old vines had great potential, and even kept the vineyard's manager Didier Dubois who continues to watch over the vineyard although now to Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's preferences. Interestingly, owing to Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's past owner Jules Ouvrard, it's worth noting that the Domaine had in fact at one point owned at least some part of the Corton vineyards (particularly the Clos du Roi lieux-dit) that they now lease!

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's leased Corton vineyard ranges 2.28 hectares, and comes from three different lieux-dits (Clos du Roi, Bressandes and Renardes). Since leasing the vineyards, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti has been replanting and grafting over existing young vines its own Pinot Fin massal selection.

This is the 2019 vintage.

 

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Ruby

Aroma: Immediate earthiness, fresh and pure, with lots of freshly tilled soil and also clay. Crushed violets and rose petals, along with some wood spice, still a touch of cardamom, makes for a balanced yet exotic bouquet. That clay delves deep once again with that wet clay slickness. It's powerfully aromatic and incredibly expressive, yet here tends towards a more straightforward profile. It's cohesive and with great richness, with time showing more rose petals and potpourri, with a deep base of blackberry and blackcurrant bramble, and a touch of dark cherry. It comes through exotic and almost of a cherry liqueur.

Taste: Medium-bodied here, the spice leaps forward with more of that cardamom and patchouli, all backed by rich blackberries, blackcurrants and dark cherries. It's plush and rich, and also well and deeply spiced, yet presenting a cohesive and velvety texture, with vibrant acidity and silky tannins. With time, it gets increasingly richer, settling on a combination of dark fruit, Asian spice and patchouli.

Finish: Alittle more salinity here, coupled with that black cherry and kirsch. It fans out in this seamless finish, revealing more on dried thyme, clay, touches of animal hide, with that savoury salinity carrying through. The gently tart berry fruits combines with the salinity to form a base from which that dried thyme and cardamom leads. The animal hide and cardamom spice lingers on with great persistence.

My Thoughts

A really powerful expression that's richer and more juicy, yet still retaining of its concentration and silkiness. It feels alittle more youthful and therefore fresher and more vibrant, which in turn keeps it to a more straightforward profile. The exotic spices, dark fruits and dried florals and herbs are more evenly balanced, with the spices taking just alittle bit more of a lead. That very evocative clay slickness still presents itself on the nose, which gives it a depth, although here it's counterbalanced by the deep base of berry bramble. Overall, it trades off some complexity and definition for what comes off as more youth, freshness and juiciness. Nevertheless it's powerful and intense with the points that make it unique.

 

Wine Review: Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Echezeaux Grand Cru

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti owns some 4.67 hectares of vineyards in Echézeaux, representing about 12% of the climat, sitting on a particular sector known as Les Poulaillères that is directly next to Grands Echézeaux (which is smaller than Echézeaux) on its eastern flank (above Grands Echézeaux on a slope). The land here is of limestone and marl, and features a variety of microclimates, with various slopes and dips, as well as different portions of the vineyards exposed to varying levels of sunlight.

As a fun fact, in 1988, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti had sold some of its vines in Echézeaux, although still retaining the right to use the land on a renewable 30 year lease, in order to finance its purchase of the Romanée-Saint-Vivant vineyard. The Domaine de la Romanée-Conti had first expanded its Echézeaux holdings in 1967, having acquired about 1.17 hectares from Comte de Divonne.

This is the 2019 vintage.

 

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Ruby

Aroma: Crushed violets and rose petals, with a deep clay note, there's then a side of freshly tilled soil, with also a touch of slate like minerality. Blackcurrants follow with some meaty savouriness. It's alittle more closed off here, yet with time more potpourri, patchouli and dried thyme shows up.

Taste: Medium-bodied here, it's rounded and lush, really fruit forward, juicy and accessible. Loads of blackberries and blackcurrants, in the form of preserves, bringing with it a light acidity. Touch of meatiness and salinity, with also a dash of macerated dark cherry, and even alittle bit of cranberry. The acidity persists in its delicate brightness. With time, it develops deeper and darker fruits with more dried prunes showing. The tannins here are completed softened and polished.

Finish: More on blackberries and prunes, it's leaning closer towards darker fruits. It's rich with the tannins turning towards more tightness and graininess. Flecks of salinity and dried thyme, with more of that dried dark fruit character persisting. 

My Thoughts

It started off a little quiet on the nose, with the aromas lighter and more delicate, which seems to then showcase more of the minerality that becomes more apparent. On the palate, a delightful surprise in just how accessible it is - easygoing, fruit-forward and alittle more juicy. It's always fruitiness that's tipped off by a delicate and bright acidity. There's a mix of brighter and darker fruits here, which then moves towards a more dried profile into the finish, with the tannins also going from soft and polished to becoming alittle more grainy. Here and there, there are touches of meaty savouriness and dried herbs that extends to the profile somewhat, giving it that much more dimensionality that is rather pleasing. Overall, I found this to be rather subtly ephemeral, constantly moving and developing, even as it seems to present a more simple and easygoing profile on the surface.

 

Vineyards leading into Grands Echezeaux.

Wine Review: Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands Echezeaux Grand Cru

Substantially smaller than Echézeaux, the Grands Echézeaux is but 9.14 hectares (compared to the 37.69 hectares of Echézeaux), with then Domaine de la Romanée-Conti owning some 3.53 hectares of which. Similar to the vineyards in Echézeaux, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti had previously sold some portion of its vineyards here in 1988 in order to finance the purchase of its Romanée-Saint-Vivant vineyards. Compared to the slopes of Echézeaux, the Grands Echézeaux is more flat and resides downslope from Echézeaux, with its soils primarily composed of limestone. 

Now although today the Grands Echézeaux is heuristically perceived as being more prized than the vineyards in its neighbouring Echézeaux, it is historically said the the "Grands" prefix was never meant to be any indication of one parcel being better than the other, and that instead the prefix was simply a reference to the longer rows of vines in Grands Echézeaux as compared to Echézeaux - Domaine de la Romanée-Conti does nevertheless state that its Grands Echézeaux is the longest lived of all its wines, which does point towards its belief that one is indeed better than the other.

This is the 2019 vintage.

 

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Ruby

Aroma: Incredibly aromatic, it's immediately powerful with deep aromatics of clay and a touch of animal hide, garnished then with an earthiness of tobacco and forest floors. There's even a light flintiness, with some hay as well, and an overall incredibly compelling musty earthiness. It showcases great depth and power that sustains throughout.

Taste: Medium-bodied here, it's giving dried black fruits of plums and prunes. Luscious and plush, it takes a deeper and darker tone, with then more on dried thyme and a touch of soil. It's immediately richer with gentle yet prominent acidity, and completely relaxed yet firm tannins.

Finish: More on dried plums and prunes, it's rich through the finish, almost dark and brooding, with also some savouriness yet this time without the saltiness. Still alittle meaty, garnished with dried thyme and filled in with dried cherries, a distinct minerality of slate and gravel lingers on the finish. It's alittle more tight on the finish with a light graininess starting to show.

My Thoughts

Decidedly powerful, and yet at the same time showcasing quite a unique profile amongst the range, here with a more pronounced aromatic earthiness that is displayed beautifully on the nose with this lovely, fresh and pure mustiness of dusty forest floors. Such precision and definition that's totally evocative! On the palate, it's lush and rich, filled in with dried black fruits, giving some sense of age, with also then dried herbs and more of that earthiness. It also has a really relaxed yet firm, really silky tannin structure that is svelte and sensual. Into the finish, it leans even darker and comes off almost brooding, yet without heaviness despite its absolute richness. Really impressive and with such presence!

 

Wine Review: Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanee St Vivant Grand Cru (Marey Monge)

Romanée-Saint-Vivant (RSV) is the closest of all to the village of Vosne-Romanée ( and accounts for 35% of Vosne's Grand Cru land), where Domaine de la Romanée-Conti owns 5.3 hectares of the total 9.44 hectares (56% of the vineyard; more than 5x the size of the next largest owner). The vines here sit on a gentle slope (just below Richebourg) that faces east, at the base of the hill, with soils here broadly deeper, clay rich and of limestone.

The vineyard is deeply historical and goes back to the Abbey of Saint Vivant which tended to its vines since the end of the 9th century (it was thus once considered as a single parcel known as Clos de Saint-Vivant, where it was grouped together with Romanée-Conti and Richebourg). Up until 1898, the Saint-Vivant vineyard had been a monopole, only ever owned by two owners - the Abbey of Saint Vivant, and the Marey-Monge family, the latter of whom's Nicolas-Joseph Marey had purchased the entire appellation when it was put on sale during the French Revolution. In 1898, the Marey-Monge family had begin selling parcels of the vineyards, with the last remaining parcel first leased to Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in 1966 (by Mlle Marey-Monge, who was the last of her line). Domaine de la Romanée-Conti was also given the right of first refusal should the vineyard ever come up for sale - it was this acquisition of the remaining Marey-Monge holding in 1988 that firmly planted Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in the Grand Cru vineyard.

As of late, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's wines from Saint-Vivant have become increasingly well recognised as amongst some of the greatest of Vosne, which is very much the work of Aubert de Villaine who since the 1990's had sought to bring about more consistency to the wines - he began vinifying each section separately and began recognising the parcel as instead a "patchwork of different plantings", which eventually led to substantial replanting with Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's heritage Pinot Fin. Till today, the Saint-Vivant vineyard is said to require extensive care where different portions have to be treated as its own.

This is the 2019 vintage.

 

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Ruby

Aroma: Opens with potpourri and patchouli, dried rose petals, crushed violets, with then a touch of salinity and dried thyme and exotic cardamom. A little whiff of animal saddle, and a more gentle outline of clay and slate. At the base, a light yet lifted layer of dried dark cherries, blackberries and raspberries.

Taste: Medium-bodied, really energetic and bold, yet at the same time luscious and velvety with fine and silky tannins. It's black fruit forward, with deep and well defined, very polished and elegant notes of blackberries and dark cherries. Really rich and lifted, without heaviness. A touch of salty savouriness of ham, dusting of dried thyme, with then more floral aromatics of roses and potpourri. With time it only develops more lift, settling on supple blackcurrant jams that's almost candied. The acidity here is bright and lively, yet completely smoothened and well-integrated.

Finish: It's plush through the finish, that blackcurrant jam and blackberry preserve carries through with here some clove and cardamom spices. The salty savouriness and slight meatiness lingers. The finish is velvety lush and seamless, also really linear yet incredibly elegant and ethereal.

My Thoughts

Thoroughly enchanting! This was incredibly elegant and showcased an impressive acidity and tannin structure that served to really elevate its body, giving it this lovely liftedness that was most ethereal! It's also thoroughly beguiling in its aromatics, with bouquets upon bouquets of potpourri and patchouli, as well as some of that exotic Vosne spice. On the nose, it seems to show a more mineral profile, which is replaced by more black fruit on the palate that leads the way. Whilst the salty, meaty savouriness and herbaceousness are not unique to the Romanée-Saint-Vivant, here it's curated in a most satisfying manner, where it seems to garnish the fruit core, and so even as the various more savoury notes extends its flavours, it always seems to draw back and be supported by the supple richness of the fruit. It's linear and very consistent through its tasting, yet does so in a most elegant manner that feels like an enthralling journey from start to finish.

 

The town of Vosne-Romanée.

Wine Review: Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg Grand Cru

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's 3.51 hectare Richebourg holdings comes from three parcels, two of which lie above the Romanée Saint-Vivant vineyard, and accounts for 44% of the climate (more than 4x the size of the next largest holding of Richebourg vines). Spatially is also lies adjacent to Romanée-Conti and La Romanée, and is characterised by clay rich soils (with also an elevation and soil structure similar to Romanée-Conti). Richebourg is often understood to have two distinct climates, with Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's parcels spanning both, and has owned its Richebourg vineyard since its earliest inception in 1910, put together by Jacques-Marie Duvault-Blochet. Owing at least in part to its longstanding history as a Domaine de la Romanée-Conti holding, Richebourg has long been seen as one of the most heralded of Vosne.

This is the 2019 vintage.

 

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Ruby

Aroma: Immediately more mineral and herbaceous with slate and clay coming through, yet here it's more concrete and dusty, with a dried mineral quality that's coupled with dried thyme and mint. Beneath is a deeper and darker toned, yet juicy bed of blackcurrant preserves that's garnished with exotic cardamom and a side of patchouli and violets. Some of that salty savoury meatiness comes through as well, with also freshly tilled soil. It's a big and bold, yet muscular and nuanced, layered aroma. 

Taste: Medium-bodied, really plush and juicy, still rather muscular and broad, with that salty savoury meatiness of breakfast ham leading the way, before being joined by blackcurrant sauce. Supporting that is yet another deeper layer of black fruit. Very subtle, developing, notes of leather and tobacco. It's really fresh and lifted, with bright acidity that's softened and well coaxed into the body. Elegant and somehow contrasts that big boldness with a good deal of precision and definition. Clean around its outline, it's velvety and almost pillowy with incredible richness and concentration. The tannins here are completely polished and giving.

Finish: Long finish here, it goes on and on, yet holds on to a consistent, cohesive note of salty savoury meatiness, blackcurrant preserves, dried prunes and a dusting of dried thyme. Deep exotic cardamom spices persists.

My Thoughts

If the Romanée Saint-Vivant felt like a delicately executed, svelte line, showcasing finesse and grace, then the Richebourg certainly feels like a thick brushstroke that exudes power and boldness, utterly charismatic and confident with its forwardness. Yet both nevertheless demonstrate a complete elegance in their liftedness, with beautiful bright acidity, lively and gleaming yet fine and harmonised to the wine, and tannins that are firm, gently guiding the wine without ever making itself obvious.

The Richebourg feels almost aristocratic and has a sort of grandiosity to it -it's breathtakingly bold yet elegant, rich and plush yet weightless. On the nose, the minerality and herbaceousness was striking, with the earthiness more definite and aromatic, as opposed to the textural quality that was seen in the Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru. That signature Vosne spice remains apparent as well, with each of these distinct quality conveyed with such definition and clarity, which then felt layered upon one another almost like a tiered cake. On the palate, the body came across juicy and pillowy rich yet somehow without any loss of definition, its muscular yet shapely, perfectly clean around the outline, with even some of that leather and tobacco starting to develop ever so slightly.

This carried through with no loss of power through the finish, here coming together as one cohesive profile that persisted for such an impressive length, leaving just then that exotic bit of cardamom that lingers after.

 

The soils of La Tâche.

Wine Review: Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche Grand Cru Monopole

It's undeniable that La Tâche holds a degree of reverence that few wines do, which arguably seems to transcend in modern times beyond the fact that it is but one of two Domaine de la Romanée-Conti monopoles (an appellation vineyard that is owned and managed by just one single owner) or its terroir and the wines it produces. Whilst historically La Tâche has always been held in high regard for being a phenomenal plot, it seems that today this speaks more to the fact the label is the next highest of the reds on the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti echelon to the Romanée-Conti summit itself - it's a juxtaposition of mythical and legendary and yet just within reach in terms of accessibility, with the Romanée-Conti going for at least 4x the price of the La Tâche.

Delving briefly into the history of La Tâche, there's not a consistent tracing of its ownership before it was seized during the French Revolution to be auctioned off, except that at the time it was known as La Tâche Joly de Bévy, with Joly de Bévy a reference to the then President of the Parliament of Bourgogne, Joseph Joly de Bévy, and thus it is typically assumed that the vineyard was under his ownership. Regardless, La Tâche is widely considered a monopole all throughout its history, and so even after it was auctioned, it would change hands several more times, yet always with just one owner. By 1815, it came into the hands of the Liger-Belair family who would own the it for over a century, before it was eventually sold as a result of inheritance laws, and therefore purchased by Edmond Gaudin de Villaine, which placed it into the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti stables.

It's worth noting that what is known today as La Tâche was once in fact two vineyards - La Tâche and Les Gaudichots, the latter being quite a bit larger than the former. The Les Gaudichots parcel had been steadily amassed by Jacques-Marie Duvault-Blochet, and had even been bottled under the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti banner up until the 1929 vintage, when in 1932, Edmond Gaudin de Villaine had successfully sought for the two vineyards to be legally recognised under just the one La Tâche. This was of course a financially savvy move considering that the La Tâche commanded a higher premium than Les Gaudichots. Nevertheless, it is widely understood that the two historic parcels do feature different geologies, with the down slope positioned La Tâche typically producing richer and bigger wines.

Located is the heart of Vosne-Romanée, just south of and on the same slope as La Romanée-Conti and La Romanée, La Tâche is today the largest of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti vineyards, totalling 6.06 hectares, and features soils with significant limestone and red clay. It holds some of the oldest vines of the Domaine, and is considered by Aubert de Villaine to be the healthiest of the vineyards.

This is the 2019 vintage.

 

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Ruby

Aroma: Decidedly riper and richer, it opens with dark cherry preserves and jams, with a touch of sour cherry and cranberry. It's darker and more sensual, amalgamated by a gently herbal eucalyptus, with also a touch of salinity. Cupping it is a soft and supple base of wet clay that's here lighter and thinner.

Taste: Medium-bodied, just as its aromas, this was immediately more rounded and showcased the most richness. Filled in with dark cherry, plums and raspberry preserves, it's supple and plush with bright acidity and incredibly giving tannins. Touches of eucalyptus are melded in to give a gentle herbal quality to it, with some clove spices towards the back.

Finish: This was rich and plush through the finish, with plums and prunes, dusted with cloves and exotic cardamom spice, seamlessly barrelling through, completely silky and velvety, with great saturation and a pillowy liftedness.

My Thoughts

The La Tâche comes through as the ripest and richest of the lot, incredibly pillowy and plush, showcasing an incredible texture and saturation, with the dark fruits offered so generously. It also showed a more herbal aspect that was most prominent with the La Tâche, with the mineral and spice notes taking more of a backseat. The acidity here was also perhaps the most pointed, coming through as sour cherries, cranberries and raspberries, really firm and resolute yet not to the point of sharpness or angularity. That said, the La Tâche also seems to forgo some detail and nuance for that bountiful richness, and thus is more straightforward, although texturally amongst the most impressive.

 

The famous cross that sits in front of the La Romanée Conti vineyard.

About The Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti Grand Cru Monopole

The gem of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti stable, the namesake Romanée-Conti vineyard is of course one of the most legendary vineyards in the world today. With just a 1.81 hectare vineyard, the Romanée-Conti monopole is relatively small, and therefore offers a distinct and singular lens to what is often said to be the best that Vosne-Romanée has to offer. It is positioned mid slope, which gives it optimal sun exposure and drainage to its shallow and stony clay rich limestone soils. 

Historically, the vineyard has stayed precisely within the same boundaries from as far back as 1580, and has been owned by Domaine de la Romanée-Conti since 1910, although Jacques-Marie Duvault-Blochet had already purchased it even in 1869 after it had changed hands numerous times since it was seized from the Prince of Conti and auctioned during the French Revolution. Prior to that the vineyard had been owned by the Croonembourg family, who had in turn acquired it from the historical Abbey of Saint Vivant where its Benedictine monks had tended to its vines since 1232. Nevertheless the Vosne region had been taken care of by monasteries for centuries even prior, with hunting lodges built for royalty during the late 9th century to the 15th century, which is at times referenced as the earliest catalyst for the prominence of the region's wines.

 

 

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's Romanée-Conti wines are said to be concentrated, big and complex, presenting an incredibly compelling profile.

About The Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet Grand Cru (and Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru)

The Montrachet vineyards produce the only Chardonnay whites that is sold by Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (of its owned vineyards), and even then is typically referenced as amongst the greatest representations of white Burgundy - a testament to the incredible vineyards and winemaking of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.

 

 

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's Montrachet vineyards totalling just 0.68 hectares (8.4% of the total appellation) were first acquired in 1963, and expanded in 1966 and 1980. It can be divided into three plots (all within the Chassagne section of Montrachet) spanning Montrachet (1 parcel) and Le Montrachet (2 parcels), with significantly older vines that are about 60 years old. The first plot in Montrachet was acquired from the Comte de Moucheron in 1963 (of the Serre family who also owned Chateau de Meursault) marking Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's entry into white wines, whereas the subsequent two side-by-side plots in Le Montrachet were progressively acquired from M. Roizot (who in turn had acquired it from Charles Drapier in 1918).

Seated south-facing and mid slope along the Montrachet hill, the vineyard has an elevation of 250-270 meters, with deep marly limestone soils that are rich in calcium. After harvest, the Chardonnay grapes are cold soaked and then fermented in stainless steel tanks to preserve freshness and minerality, with the winemaking here an adaptation of the Domaine's typical style, featuring the use of direct pressing, as well as lees stirring to ensure that it stays in a state of suspension to create more richness in the resulting wine. It is then aged in oak barrels for 18-24 months, having undergone a natural malolactic fermentation. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's Montrachet white is said to be full-bodied and concentrated, with complex layers of florals, citrus, spice and notes of white and yellow fruit.

 

 

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti also owns an incredibly small parcel in Bâtard-Montrachet - just 0.1746 hectares that yields but 2 barrels of Chardonnay whites that are only for the family's own consumption, and are hence not sold to the public. The vineyard sits at the southern, lower end of Bâtard-Montrachet towards the side of Chassagne-Montrachet. The soils here are heavier with clay over a limestone base, along with some marly influences, with the vines incredibly old at around 75 years of age.

About The Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti leases the Corton Charlemagne vineyard so as to beef up its white wine making, with the vineyard managed by the Domaine since 2018. The 2.9 hectare Grand Cru vineyard (of 4 plots, which are vinified and matured separately) sits at the upper slopes (300-350 meters elevation) where the soils are of thin limestone that coats a marly subsoil. The vines here are notably younger, having been planted in the 2000's. This represents the Domaine's most recent addition to its portfolio. 

 

 

The Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Corton Charlemagne is said to lean towards more crispness and freshness, with a more chiselled precision that displays prominently its minerality, dominated by fresh citrus.

 

Kanpai!

 

@111hotpot