There are wines that make you think: It's nice that they exist, but I will never taste them in my life . Take for example Domaine de la Romanée Conti La Tâche 1999 . Made by the legendary winery Domaine de la Romanée Conti from the La Tâche vineyard in Vosne-Romanée.
No, I didn't see that coming.
And yet, it happened. On Tuesday afternoon, I suddenly found myself with a bottle of La Tâche in my hand. I'm still blown away, and in this article, I'll tell you why.
The village: Vosne-Romanée
Domaine de la Romanée Conti is located in Vosne-Romanée, a small village in the Côtes de Nuits, which covers 232 hectares of vineyards, half the size of Gevrey-Chambertin. 'Il n'y a point de vins communs a Vosne-Romanée', according to the 18th-century writer Courtépée (which I've borrowed from Inside Burgundy*). In other words: there are no "ordinary" wines here. This appellation boasts the pinnacle of Pinot Noir. At least in terms of terroir. As a winemaker, you'd have to be pretty good to produce a bad wine here.
“ No other appellation in Burgundy can combine the intensity of flavor with the refinement that typifies the fine wines of Vosne-Romanée ”.
Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy
Vosne-Romanée is surrounded by six Grand Cru vineyards: La Grand Rue, La Tâche, Richebourg, La Romanée, Romanée-Saint-Vivant, and the most famous, Romanée-Conti. They are often mentioned in the same breath as the Grand Crus of the neighboring village of Flagey-Echézeaux, where you'll find Echézeaux and Les Grands Echézeaux.
What makes a grand cru a grand cru?
Tough question . The easy answer is that it's all about terroir. A grand cru boasts the best terroir (a combination of ideal soil, climate, location, etc.). This gives the wine a distinctive character, different and grander than the style of the surrounding village. That's why a grand cru is also allowed to include the name of the vineyard on the label. Confusingly, the term grand cru doesn't mean the same thing everywhere. Read more here >
The winery: Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti is among the world's most famous wines. I'm trying to remember where I first read or heard about DRC. It must have been in France, where I devoured The Wine Bible. Sometime in 2010.
I also visited the vineyards once. Every wine lover makes a true pilgrimage (or just a drive) to the Burgundy vineyards at some point in their life. That day, I also got a close-up look at the winery's large red gate. Life goals 😉 Unfortunately, we weren't invited to dinner.
The best word to describe Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, in my opinion, is " legendary ." The estate is currently run by the de Villaine and Leroy/Roch families. Aubert de Villaine is the heir of Jacques-Marie Duvault Blochet, who purchased the estate in 1869. The Leroy/Roch family essentially "bought" themselves in by acquiring shares from other heirs. Since March 2019, Perrine Fenay (née Leroy) co-owns DRC alongside Aubert de Villaine. The wines are made by Bernard Noblet, who took over from his father, André. Since 2008—after much experimentation—they have been 100% biodynamic.
DRC owns a total of 25 hectares of vineyards, the majority of which are located in Vosne-Romanée and Flagey-Echézeaux. The most famous and reportedly the best in the region is the small plot of La Romanée Conti Grand Cru. DRC is the sole owner of this plot, as is La Tâche Grand Cru.
Besides Vosne-Romanée, DRC has owned a few Grand Cru plots in Corton since 2009. They also make a white wine annually from their Montrachet plot (on the Chassagne side). Read the tasting note here >
The vineyard: La Tâche
The name La Tâche refers to à la tâche , or "working," refers to the winegrower's work. For example, you can hire a tâcheron to take over vineyard work.
La Tâche is a Grand Cru vineyard covering 6.06 hectares, fully owned by the DRC since 1933. A monopoly, in other words. La Tâche wasn't always this large, but it has roughly quadrupled in size over the years. So, the same can happen with a Grand Cru.
It is about four times larger than Romanée Conti Grand Cru, but six times smaller than Echézeaux. Echézeaux covers over 37 hectares, of which DRC owns almost 5 hectares.
The wine: Domaine de la Romanée Conti La Tâche 1999
And now the wine. It is said that La Take something more flamboyant is then Romanée Conti and needs at least ten years of bottle aging to integrate the tannins.
Pinot Noir like you've never tasted before. Incredibly fragrant. Already 21 years old and still so vibrant with aromas that will make your head spin: juicy cherries, rose petals, cedar, forest floor and leaves, autumnal day. The acidity is definitely medium+ with medium, polished tannins and a medium+ body. A finish that lingers. Unforgettable and, in fact, indescribable.
And lucky us, that day was also a 'flower day' according to the biodynamic calendar .
*Inside Burgundy has recently been renewed and is available at Bolomey (Amsterdam or online).
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