1 bottle per lot
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DOMAINE DE LA ROMANEE-CONTI
'Romanée-Conti,' as the local proverb goes, 'is the central pearl of the Burgundian necklace.' This miniuscule vineyard gives its name to the most famous Domaine in the world, commonly referred to as 'D.R.C.' or, more reverentially, as The Domaine.
In 1868 the vineyard passed to the de Villaine family and is still, today, managed by Aubert de Villaine.
It never fails to astonish me that the strips of vines which stretch only a modest number of meters up the very gentle slopes from the outskirts of an equally modest, indeed remarkably rural rambling of village Vosne, are capable of producing wines of such world class quality.
One thing strikes me forcibly: these five sites prove unquestionably that the French notion of terroir is not a fancy figment of Gallic imagination for the differences between each of the wines is marked, so consistent. Yet all five of the D.R.C. burgundies are made, traditionally, in the same cellars from grapes of the same variety, Pinot Noir. Romanée-Conti itself has an unique concentration, La Tâche has a different sort of intensity, each having a superb yet vividly contrasting bouquet. Richebourg, next door, has a broader character, and so on. So what produces those differences: slight variations in subsoil, slope and drainage, fractionally, virtually imperceptible microclimate. Who knows. But fermented and élévé identically, the final wines are different.
Michael Broadbent
Romanée-Conti--Vintage 1964
Côte de Nuits, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
Level: 4.5cm, slightly stained label
"Some bricking with a ruby core. A simply brilliant nose with a superb breadth of spice, earth, leather and smoky game nuances leads to still vibrant and youthful, very ripe flavors that possess simply knockout complexity and still plenty of vigor on the incredibly long finish. This is really quite something and while it is as good as it will ever be, the '64 RC is unbelievably good for such young vines and if well stored, it should drink well for another 20 years." BH, October 14, 2004
1 bottle per lot
'Romanée-Conti,' as the local proverb goes, 'is the central pearl of the Burgundian necklace.' This miniuscule vineyard gives its name to the most famous Domaine in the world, commonly referred to as 'D.R.C.' or, more reverentially, as The Domaine.
In 1868 the vineyard passed to the de Villaine family and is still, today, managed by Aubert de Villaine.
It never fails to astonish me that the strips of vines which stretch only a modest number of meters up the very gentle slopes from the outskirts of an equally modest, indeed remarkably rural rambling of village Vosne, are capable of producing wines of such world class quality.
One thing strikes me forcibly: these five sites prove unquestionably that the French notion of terroir is not a fancy figment of Gallic imagination for the differences between each of the wines is marked, so consistent. Yet all five of the D.R.C. burgundies are made, traditionally, in the same cellars from grapes of the same variety, Pinot Noir. Romanée-Conti itself has an unique concentration, La Tâche has a different sort of intensity, each having a superb yet vividly contrasting bouquet. Richebourg, next door, has a broader character, and so on. So what produces those differences: slight variations in subsoil, slope and drainage, fractionally, virtually imperceptible microclimate. Who knows. But fermented and élévé identically, the final wines are different.
Michael Broadbent
Romanée-Conti--Vintage 1964
Côte de Nuits, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
Level: 4.5cm, slightly stained label
"Some bricking with a ruby core. A simply brilliant nose with a superb breadth of spice, earth, leather and smoky game nuances leads to still vibrant and youthful, very ripe flavors that possess simply knockout complexity and still plenty of vigor on the incredibly long finish. This is really quite something and while it is as good as it will ever be, the '64 RC is unbelievably good for such young vines and if well stored, it should drink well for another 20 years." BH, October 14, 2004
1 bottle per lot