Tasted in Vosne-Romanée with Bertrand de Villaine, 30 November 2022.
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
1 Place de l’Église
21700 Vosne-Romanée
www.romanee-conti.com
More reports with Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
On 2021:
“In 2021 we fought for 3 nights and 3 days with candles, and warmers – we did what we could do – 3-400 candles per hectare. In Charlemagne, we have 3 hectares but the frost left us with only 5 barrels. You can easily see that we were 80-90 % down in volume in the Côte de Beaune, with closer to 50% losses in the Côte de Nuits. We had as low as -8°C in the Côte de Nuits – you can gain a couple of degrees with candles, etcetera, but there’s not much you can do to save already the buds that are already open in such temperatures. Our harvesting was almost a month later than the year before. We started with the Corton – the chardonnay much better supported the possibility to wait (to harvest) but effectively the red Corton was ready first. We used a little sugar on a couple of cuvées but it wasn’t a vintage that needed much intervention in the cuverie, only to say that it wasn’t a vintage for using all of the stems as they were not always in the best shape – 2021 was a vintage where the domaine remained true to our convictions that the stems are important for the structure of their wines – but for some younger vine fruit in areas with higher humidity, we destemmed – the result is a use of 85-100% of the stems. This ‘selection’ wasn’t necessary for 2022 when their use was 100%… We try not to focus just on the lower volumes because it is important to think of the quality – the chardonnays were superb in 21.”
The wines…
At this particular stage of their elevage, some of these wines show a certain austerity – more the aromas than the structure – there’s a certain gothic, almost fumé aspect from the stems. It does remind me of (some of) their 2008s right now – captivating for the first glass – still maybe a little too much during the second glass. But the balance and clarity of flavours are wonderful. It’s a vintage to have patience here – I think the wines won’t really be (fully!) singing until they are close to 20 years old – which might be a bit too long to wait for a 60-year-old like me 🙂 Buit it’s clear that the grandest wines remain exactly that!
There’s a little Petit Monts this year but probably not enough to bottle as a discrete cuvée. The RSV was racked this week so we will taste a sample that was put to the side before:
2021 Corton
‘Initially, we found it hard to marry the tannins with the oak so went from 100% new oak in 2009 to 50% in 2010. Now it’s back to 100% following the work in the vines and the maturity in the grapes – they are now happy together. But we want to make a Corton, not a Corton from Vosne.’ This year, only 4 barrels from over 2 ha
A vibrant perfume with a cooking herb aspect. A blend of melting flavour, accented by the barrel, melds with a fine and open structure – long, long, and exceptionally complex but this is a wine to have patience with – no hard edges but a strong accent of the stems that will take time to finesse. Wait 10 years for excellence.
2021 Echézeaux
‘The soil here is less deep than many of the other crus.’ This is still in barrel.
This nose is a little fuller, similarly herbed with the stems but slightly softer with a more intense aromatic line of fruit. More direct, cool and showing attractive clarity, silken in width becoming more velour as the tannin starts to show itself. Rather a beautiful width and more together today in the finishing flavour than the Corton.
Versus many cellars these first two wines seem a little behind in elevage vs many domaines at this time. The wc element reminds me of their 2008s which are delicious today as attested by a recent Grands-Echézeaux where the rest of the wine has filled out to balance.
2021 Grands-Echézeaux
All was protected here with candles
A broader, less deep aromatic – the perfume whilst still slightly smoky is already better integrated for this wine – high toned and highly appealing. There is more density here, balanced with beautifully melting flavour with fine texture. The finish is wide, fresh well-defined and involving if still faintly strict – but I like strict…
One part replanted in 2010 is not yet incorporated, but maybe soon… This from a sample taken before the recent racking:
Large-scale, wide-screen clarity of perfume here – the stems very much more floral in style today. Fluid but still with concentration. Melting with generous flavours of delicious precision. The finish with some tannic texture but no grain. This is another significant step up – probably a great wine in the making.
Like the rest pf the range – so far – modest of colour but far from modest of aroma – the stems a little less integrated than the for the RSV but that wine is now assembled – today, the notes from the barrels can be glimpsed behind the perfume. Wide-screen again with gorgeously forward flavour – this is more ‘different’ than ‘better’ vs the RSV but here is a more direct and certainly great wine that seems to show some extra finesse in this vintage.
Rounder, smokier but less austere than some of the previous aromatics – fine and silky here – with air ever finer and ever-more complete – here is beautiful clarity. Gorgeously relaxed flavour that melts over the palate such that you could question the concentration vs the Richbourg but I think here is just the completeness of the wine that’s showing. Ooh – a great finish – an extra width of clarity, of perfume on the finish – an almost unexpected reprise of finishing falour too. Not a flamboyant LT today but what a wine!
The aromatic is a little smaller than for LT but also with a different style – not just violet flowers but also verbena. Also, a palate that is less large but with a style that is completely captivating. Broad finishing, what finesse here – more so than La Tâche – though by comparison here is a wine that whispers on your ear vs the louder La Tâche. Bravo… its the murmur, the echo, of the vintage!