|
Vintage |
Wine |
Notes |
Rating |
| 1899 |
vintage
conditions |
There are no
precise notes available at the Domaine, according to Aubert de
Villaine. But its reputation has been of a vintage of very good
climatic conditions. But there is no information on the yields. |
|
| 1899 |
Romanée Conti |
Re-corked (by Nicolas) with a wine
that was difficult to fathom--not a DRC, in our opinion ! But it was
a good wine with lots of fruit, youthful color |
|
| 1915 |
vintage
conditions |
Very good weather
conditions during the whole season giving excellent yields. "A
vintage that pleases the vigneron in every respect" |
|
| 1915 |
Romanée Conti |
One of the greatest vintages in
Burgundy. This wine, however, had an intense barnyard nose which
cleared up somewhat in the glass, but not entirely. Underneath all
that, the body and the intensity of fruit were quite remarkable. A
complex wine but, in time, the volatile acidity took over. |
*** |
| 1919 |
vintage
conditions |
Perfect climatic
conditions and very small yields. Very hot summer and very little
rain, producing the greatest grapes ever seen. |
|
| 1919 |
Romanée Conti |
Excellent structure and balance with a
long finish but fading in the glass as it evolved. This wine was
poured to us, blind, by the great André Noblet, Bernard's father,
when I first visited the Domaine with Wolgfgang a number of years
ago. I guessed it then as La Tache 1947 ! This particular bottle did
not show that intensity of richness. |
*** |
| 1928 |
vintage
conditions |
Very warm summer.
Some parts of the Domaine suffered from hail, though there is no
information as to which part. But conditions are presumed to be very
similar to 1971 |
|
| 1928 |
Romanée Conti |
Color unusually dark, but with the DRC
perfume and opulence, very rich |
**** |
| 1929 |
vintage
conditions |
Excellent
conditions during the whole year. Very hot summer. Three days of
rain in September saved the grapes from too much stress. One of the
few vintages of the decade picked in September. |
|
| 1929 |
Romanée Conti |
"Sensational" were my precise words as
I was writing down my notes. A typical, oriental spice nose of DRC,
not a big wine but remarkably elegant-just what you expect from this
Domaine. I have had this wine quite a number of times in the last 20
years, sometimes with La Tâche, Richebourg or the esoteric, "Les
Gaudichots". I find it totally astonishing how almost 74 years since
the harvest this wine shows so incredibly well. It will provide "one
of the greatest memories" Paul Pontallier said. |
***** |
| 1937 |
vintage
conditions |
The most perfect
conditions during the whole year. Only one small period of rain in
August which brought much needed water to the grapes. Perfect
weather conditions at harvest producing extremely ripe grapes. |
|
| 1937 |
Romanée Conti |
A re-corked bottle which showed
leather and mushrooms on the nose. Very elegant and lean but not the
best bottle of this acclaimed vintage |
*** |
| 1942 |
vintage
conditions |
Beautiful weather
during the whole season. There were some storms and hail, but the
Domaine was not hit. Small yields. |
|
| 1942 |
Romanée Conti |
A lot of amber in the color, showing
age, a bit prune-like nose, good sweetness but not overwhelming, and
not overly complex. "Lacy" as Anne-Claude Leflaive described it for
a vintage that was made entirely by women in those war years,
according to Aubert de Villaine |
*** |
| 1943 |
vintage
conditions |
The whole season
was exemplary. Fine weather. Rain at the right moment.
Unfortunately, some hail in July, but most of the berries that were
hit, dried and fell. Great vintage, still alive. |
|
| 1943 |
Romanée Conti |
This bottle was oxidized,
unfortunately |
|
| 1952 |
vintage
conditions |
A generally dry
year but with rains which arrived at the right moment. A long period
of dry but cool September prepared wines that were hard when young
but gained an extraordinary finesse with time. |
|
| 1952 |
Romanée Conti |
As stated earlier, light color but
intensely rich, still has the taste of young vines. It was just over
20 years ago when I tasted this wine for the first time. It was
closed up then but has steadily improved over these years. May be at
a plateau now. A great wine. |
***** |
| 1953 |
vintage
conditions |
Everything was
mild in 1953 : nice spring, nice summer, nice weather during the
harvest. The harmony of the season led to the great harmony of the
wines. |
|
| 1953 |
Romanée Conti |
A surprise. Amazing sweetness of a
very ripe fuit, with caramel, coffee-beans, bacon, showing up in the
nose and in the flavor. Great elegance. "Magic of terroir". |
**** |
| 1954 |
vintage
conditions |
Very bad climatic
conditions during the whole season except for a period of very nice
and sunny September which saved the vintage. |
|
| 1954 |
Romanée Conti |
Remarkably fragrant bouquet and
"purity of the fruit" as both Jacques Seysses and Bernard Noblet put
it. There isn't a whole lot of complexity but, still, quite
surprising for this so called off-vintage. |
*** |
| 1955 |
vintage
conditions |
Significant
coulure (unequal development) in June created a small yield. A very
hot weather during the summer and at harvest that created occasional
problems with fermentation, which were solved, however, resulting in
a very great vintage. |
|
| 1955 |
Romanée Conti |
Powerful wine--on the bouquet and the
palate. A lot of steel but with that breeding which is typical of
DRC. Excellent balance. A complete surprise. Rémi Krug called it "a
sheer beauty", Jean Delmas said "perfect harmony" |
***** |
| 1959 |
vintage
conditions |
Very good
flowering. A big crop was expected from the beginning. In fact the
yields were exceptionally generous, but at the same time very ripe.
The summer was dry and hot, with just a little rain at the beginning
of September. The 1959 are rich and complex, and one of the best
vintages ever made in that century |
|
| 1959 |
Romanée Conti |
The wine was a bit oxidized but, going
behind the somewhat off-nose, the candy-like sweetness of the fruit
was quite amazing. Wolfgang called it "decadently sweet". Not a
perfect bottle but still a great wine. |
**** |
| 1961 |
vintage
conditions |
Couleur at the
flowering with a lot of very small grapes and "millerandage" (mixed
berry sizes in each cluster). Very healthy grapes thanks to a very
nice, dry and hot summer. Small quantities and excellent quality
that has taken ages to blossom. Among the best vintages of the
1960s. |
|
| 1961 |
Romanée Conti |
Unusually soft with sweet tannins for
a tannic vintage, light color but great opulence which got even more
pronounced as the wine stayed in the glass |
**** |
| 1962 |
vintage
conditions |
The only negative
thing about 1962 is that it came after 1961! And its brightness is
hidden by the reputation of 1961. Some rain in September, but the
beautiful weather returned before the harvest. Good yields. Very
good wines, sometimes exceptional like La Tâche 1962. |
|
| 1962 |
Romanée Conti |
Exotic, heady, perfume, with the
elegance and balance that was almost Ch. Margaux-like, and, as
Wolfgang puts it, "warm" on the palate. This vintage is known for
one of the greatest ever La Tâche, but Romanée Conti is not all that
far behind. Remarkable. |
***** |
| 1964 |
vintage
conditions |
Very good
flowering. Summer very hot with two storms bringing water. The yield
was abundant, very pretty year which nevertheless has given wines
with rich constitution and potential for aging |
|
| 1964 |
Romanée Conti |
Initially closed, but developed into
an amazingly fleshy, opulent wine with beautiful balance. Quite
ready. |
**** |
| 1966 |
vintage
conditions |
A vintage that
did not start very well. Very humid in spring. However, good
flowering. The summer was mediocre in July but rather good in August
and glorious in September. Good acidities that helped create a
vintage with one of the best aging potentials of the century |
|
| 1966 |
Romanée Conti |
This vintage is finally coming around
after having been judged in the past as too high in acid. La Tâche
is now magnificient but Romanée Conti may be even better. Very minty
nose with that typical oriental spice of DRC, leathery, sinewy but
with an incredible amount of fruit underneath that gives a perfect
balance to the wine. A great wine with long life. |
***** |
| 1969 |
vintage
conditions |
The summer was
hot, but September was humid and cold. Maturation, however, was
good, and the wines were tannic and had a good aging potential.
Nevertheless it is a disappointing vintage compared to the
expectations it had given after the very difficult vintages of 1967
and 1968. |
|
| 1969 |
Romanée Conti |
Light color, somewhat of a damp nose,
with acidity dominating the whole equation. Not a great success at
the Domaine for an, otherwise, great vintage in Burgundy. |
** |
| 1970 |
vintage
conditions |
Warm and dry
during the whole year including the summer allowing Montrachet to
reach extraordinary balance and concentration. Unfortunately, the
rain came just before the harvest of the red grapes which diluted
the good maturation that was already achieved. |
|
| 1970 |
Montrachet |
In superb condition, still remarkably
youthful defying normal definitions of age, the balance and length
are, well, simply extraordinary |
***** |
| 1970 |
Romanée Conti |
Deep color and a minty nose but quite
up front, as it lacks the richness or length |
|
| 1971 |
vintage
conditions |
Flowering was
bad. June was rainy and cold. "Coulure". It hailed several times in
August. With the addition of "millendrages", very small grapes were
seen. The wines are concentrated. Great vintage for aging. |
|
| 1971 |
Montrachet |
Just a bit more "volume" than 1970
with the added botrytis which makes it a bit more complex.
Absolutely impeccable |
***** |
| 1971 |
Romanée Conti |
Perfume that is mind boggling with
very exotic, complex aromas, and, on the palate, it is incredibly
nuanced and layered. This was the first vintage of Romanée Conti I
had ever had--that was back in the early 80s. I never thought then
that the wine would last this long and, yet, tasting it now one
feels that it hasn't changed at all in the intervening years.
Wolfgang simply said "perfect". Same here. |
***** |
| 1972 |
vintage
conditions |
The summer was
cold, but clear without rain. The north wind blew during the whole
month of September and concentrated the acidities. Very dark colors,
concentration of acidities and tannins. The wines were not very
seductive when young but gained a lot of qualities with age |
|
| 1972 |
Romanée Conti |
Not a huge wine but "pure and fresh"
as Paul Pontallier put it. On its own right this is an excellent
wine but, unfortunately, out-classed in the company of 1955 which
was served in the same flight.. |
** |
| 1976 |
vintage
conditions |
The year of
drought. Some people thought then that it was the vintage of the
century. There was no rain during the whole summer, very early
harvest, vinifications were difficult. The wines are tannic and will
never give the hopes they had raised at the beginning. |
|
| 1976 |
Romanée Conti |
Very powerful, with strong alcoholic
undertones, quite an untypical RC--but lovely. |
*** |
| 1978 |
vintage
conditions |
A very bad
weather during the whole spring. Flowering was bad. Nobody would
have bet on the vintage. Yet from the end of August to the harvest
around October 10th the sky became wonderful. Small yields, but
fantastic maturation resulting in a wine of great charm, elegance
and bouquet |
|
| 1978 |
Montrachet |
"Shock and Awe", words that were to
become famous over the Iraq war just one month after the tasting,
were all there to describe what we had in the glass !. It is hard to
imagine that after 25 years any wine, let alone a chardonnay, could
be that youthful and that well balanced. I must have had this wine
dozens of times since the 80s and it just seems indestructible. I
still have 3 bottles of it left. Wolfgang has even more and a number
of our friends have plenty stashed away to consume in the years to
come. "True expression of the soil" said Pascal Delbeck formerly of
Chateau Ausone. Piero Antinori simply said "shocking". It deserves
20 out of 20 or 100 out of 100, whatever numbering system you use.
For me a perfect five star. |
***** |
| 1978 |
Romanée Conti |
Again a typical DRC bouquet, very
structured, huge depth of flavor, high acid but very soft texture,
stylistically very different from 1971 and 1990, showing a little
dryness in the finish which is not typical of this wine. Not the
most representative bottle |
***** |
| 1979 |
vintage
conditions |
The bud-break was
abundant in 1979 but just before the flowering, Vosne-Romanée was
hit by a severe hail storm that destroyed the vegetation and nearly
2/3 of the young gapes that were hardly born. The Romanée Conti and
La Tâche area was most badly hit. Fortunately, thanks to the
beautiful weather that followed, the vineyards recovered
exceptionally fast and the very small crop that was left behind
matured perfectly. The harvest took place from October 11 to 20. The
"verjus" (grapes of second generation) that were picked in November
made a wine that was not at the level of Grand Cru and was distilled
and made into a Fine Bourgogne 1979 ! |
|
| 1979 |
Romanée Conti |
A color of an aging wine, but has an
amazingly intense bouquet and a very ripe taste, quite rich, another
surprise for a supposedly off-vintage |
*** |
| 1980 |
vintage
conditions |
A difficult year
with a cold and rainy spring. Rainy July. The anti-rot treatments
were very successful (they would not be in the years to come). Small
yields, but beautiful grapes. Very late harvest around October 15.
The wines are pleasant and balanced, much better than its reputation |
|
| 1980 |
Romanée Conti 1980 |
An underrated vintage for red
Burgundy, this wine has the beautiful perfume of leather and tobacco
and spices, quite seductive, very soft with very good acidity and
finesse |
*** |
| 1983 |
vintage
conditions |
Fine weather
until July when on the night of the 23rd, a very strong hailstorm
hit Vosne Romanee. It lasted only three minutes, but it was long
enough to do a lot of damage to the Grand crus. The yield was very
small. The Domaine spent the rest of the summer trying to eliminate
all the dry berries hit by hail with tweezers in order to fight the
rot. We still have hope in their very long conservation |
|
| 1983 |
Romanée Conti |
Lots of tar and dry leather on the
nose that is sustained in the flavor ; an astringent finish. Not a
great success in a vintage that initially was over-hyped but turned
out to be quite problematic in Burgundy. |
** |
| 1985 |
vintage
conditions |
Very catastrophic
winter with frosts which damaged a lot of vines, in the whole Cote
d'Or. Almost 250 hectares were ruined (the very bottom part of La
Tâche was hit. It was torn out and replaced the year after). Then
during the whole year the weather was ideal: warm and dry with rain
in the spring at the right time. The crop was particularly healthy,
maturation was slow and total. One of the most seductive, deep and
rich vintages. The tannins produced are especially precious and
elegant. |
|
| 1985 |
Montrachet |
Rather smoky, truffle-like, exotic
nose, but slightly drying on the palate. Not the best bottle |
*** |
| 1985 |
Romanée Conti |
Light color, spicy nose with chocolate
undertones, quite sweet with long finish, seems to have reached a
plateau |
*** |
| 1986 |
vintage
conditions |
The year was
generally rainy and the sorting at the harvest was very important
because of deep attacks of rot. It was a year when the Echezaux was
at an exceptionally high-level compared to the other crus of the
Domaine. Why, we do not really know. After years of austerity, the
wines begin to show charm: fateful 15 years of aging? |
|
| 1986 |
Montrachet |
Shows elegance, with good fruit and
good acidity but, like the 1985, drying a bit. Having tasted 1985
and 1986 a number of times in the last 5 years, I find they are not
showing their initial promise. Quite incredibly, the two older
vintages, 1970 and 1971 are far more youthful in comparison. |
*** |
| 1986 |
Romanée Conti |
Fabulous nose, but tough with high
acidity. Quite elegant |
** |
| 1987 |
vintage
conditions |
A lot of rain
during the spring. Very bad flowering. Tiny yields (in Romanée Conti
it was only 11hl/ha !). The summer was dry and warm, but September
was rainy until the beginning of the harvest. This vintage was not
appreciated in the early years because of the austerity in the
wines. Though It is still not open it may, in time, show excellent
qualities. |
|
| 1987 |
Romanée Conti |
Dark ruby color, a leathery wine with
smoky perfume, and soft texture. But closed up at the moment. There
is an enormous amount of fruit underneath according to Bernard
Noblet, the wine maker at the Domaine. Excellent future. |
*** |
| 1988 |
vintage
conditions |
Nice spring. For
the first time in many years, attacks of mildew, but the north wind
during September helped produce wines that were concentrated and
very tannic. The yield was high and maturation was complete. It does
not seem to come up to our expectations for the moment, but one
should wait. It is only 14 years old! |
|
| 1988 |
Romanée Conti (mag) |
Deep color that reveals, as you taste,
the iron grip in the wine, leathery- tight with high acid and
alcoholic undertones. But the question remains if there is enough
fruit underneath to provide the balance. As discussed earlier, a
controversial wine as to its future. Wolfgang liked it a lot. |
**** |
| 1989 |
vintage
conditions |
No frost during
winter. One of the warmest winters we had seen, but spring frost hit
a little at the bottom part of the vineyards. The summer was very
warm and dry. The harvest was very early for the period: September
20th. The sugar contents are very high. Abundance and quality met
together very much like the year before. The tannins are still
closed. We should wait for a few more years. |
|
| 1989 |
Romanée Conti |
Quite opulent, with a signature DRC
bouquet, not entirely evolved yet but showing good roundess and good
future. |
*** |
| 1990 |
vintage
conditions |
No winter. No
snow. Spring was early and humid. Flowering was not very good: "coulure"
and "millendrage". The beginning of the summer was dry and warm.
Drought in August. A very nice weather all the time after and during
the harvest. The health situation of the grapes was very good. One
of the most seductive vintages ever made |
|
| 1990 |
Romanée Conti |
A larger-than-life wine, opulent,
powerful and nowhere near ready to drink. In spite of the intense
richness, it has at least that much acidity to keep it in perfect
harmony. One of the great wines of all time. "A legend in the
making" as Wolfgang said. |
***** |
| 1991 |
vintage
conditions |
Winter and spring
were adequate. A lot of snow reconstituted the level of the
underground water. Maturation was good and sugar contents also. Like
1962, the 1991 has only one fault: to be born immediately after the
1990 !. La Tâche 1991 for instance will show beautiful things in the
future |
|
| 1991 |
Romanée Conti |
Exotic, with chocolate and oriental
spice in the nose. Beautifully drinking now, excellent balance.
Mouthfilling but with a strikingly different style than a classical
Romanée Conti. A highly underrated vintage. |
**** |
| 1993 |
vintage
conditions |
Nice spring.
Flowering began in the first days of June, which was quite early. An
early vintage again. Storms during June and July with developments
of mildew and odium. Keeping the fight organic was difficult. Very
good maturation of the grapes in August. Rain and sun during the
harvest. Difficult vintage to make, but one of the most promising
years for the future. |
|
| 1993 |
Romanée Conti |
Bouquet of fresh cut grass,
extraordinarily elegant, the acidity level is high but with an
astonishing amount of fruit underneath. A great example of Romanée
Conti that will continue to evolve for quite some time. Again, a
most underrated vintage. |
***** |
| 1994 |
vintage
conditions |
By the beginning
of September the maturation was already quite advanced because of
the extraordinary weather in August. People were already trying to
compare the vintage to 1966 or 1990. Unfortunately, beginning with
September 5 until the 20th there was rain and storm almost without
interruption. Euphoria about the vintage turned into a sense of fear
that there could be rapid development of botrytis. However, from the
21st to the 29th, during the harvest, there was beautiful weather
with no rain. Thankfully, the pinot noir grape had resisted the
botrytis very well, and had retained all the benefits that were
bestowed on it in the warm month of August, with a level of sugar
that was very good. It was an example of a success in spite of all
the misfortunes. |
|
| 1994 |
Romanée Conti |
Almost a raspberry nose, completely
closed up with a rather sharp finish, unusual for a DRC |
** |
| 1995 |
vintage
conditions |
Extreme cold and
nearly frosty conditions in April resulted in a smaller crop. June
was enormously humid, August had temperatures unequalled in the past
few years, accelerating the maturity of the grapes. September was a
roller coaster. Rains in the early part of the month were most
welcome, but mid month it became worrisome as botrytis began to
appear. The weather turned beautiful between the 20th and 30th when
the harvest began. Richebourg, Romanee Conti, La Tâche, and most of
Romanee St. Vivant were harvested between Sept 30 and Oct 5 and show
great qualities. But there were huge storms after that date,
affecting the harvest of Echezeaux and Grands Echezeaux as the
grapes became botrytis infected. Very heavy sorting and meticulous
picking resulted in very low production but of perfectly healthy
grapes of high quality for these two wines. |
|
| 1995 |
Montrachet |
As discussed earlier, this is an
incredible wine with loads of botrytis kept in perfect balance by
high acidity. "Another dimension" are precisely the words that
summarized the opinion of every one at the table. |
***** |
| 1995 |
Romanée Conti |
Dark color, raspberry-cherry-spicy
nose, tight at the moment but still has decidedly a sweet taste.
Excellent future. Jacques Seysses felt this was going to be a great
wine |
*** |
| 1996 |
vintage
conditions |
April was very
good but with lots of rain which, however, stopped in May that was
perfect. The flowering which occurred in mid-June was short. A very
dry summer followed. The rain towards the end of August did just the
right job of supplying much needed water for nourishment and full
maturity. With the beginning of September and throughout that month
a steady north wind kept the sky clear, removed any possibility of
the dreaded botrytis developing and allowed grapes to develop high
sugar and high acidity but with excellent balance. The harvest began
on September 25 with the Montrachet, then (at 13 degree !) La Tâche
and Romanee Conti, finishing it all up by October 3. One does not
often gets this lucky ! |
|
| 1996 |
Montrachet |
Very classical with a tough structure
and lots of acidity, giving it a rather lemony flavor. Elegant and
with great purity of the fruit |
**** |
| 1996 |
Romanée Conti |
Everything that makes for a great DRC
is there but understated at the moment. There is great elegance, a
certain leanness with high acidity. Excellent future. |
**** |
| 1998 |
vintage
conditions |
After a mild
winter the budding begins in early April but a cold spell around the
15th causes spring frosts which, fortunately, does not damage the
Domaine. Flowering starts early June but, because of a cold period,
it spreads over several weeks. The heat arrives at the end of June
accelerating the growth of the vegetation. Then a severe heat wave
follows in August raising temperatures up to 43 degrees (C) which
was good for ripening the grapes but also stressed the vines,
particularly young vines. As the heat goes down the end of August
rains appear on September 15 which causes great concern about the
growth of botrytis. Then, miraculously, ideal weather returns helped
by north wind and moderate temperatures. The harvest is done in
ideal conditions from September 19 though the 29th. The wines are
between 12.1 and 12.7 degrees, the acidities are much better than
expected and the yields ar moderate. |
|
| 1998 |
Romanée Conti |
Typical DRC nose, very tough but
balanced and elegant |
** |
| 1999 |
vintage
conditions |
The picture
seemed bleak in early spring when it rained every day. But that
turned out to be a blessing as it provided an ample reserve of water
which was in dire need as hot weather descended between August 15
and September 20. The result was a miraculous combination of high
sugars due to grapes directly exposed to the sun acquiring a roasted
character, concentrated berries with good acidity and perfectly
healthy grapes---three factors that have rarely occurred in the same
harvest. The rains did arrive but very late to do any damage. A
severe selection of grapes was made but the quantity of wine
produced was high, comparable to 1996 and 1990.The harvest started
on September 20 and completed on the 27th. Words fail us when we try
to describe the perfection of grapes that were passing through on
our sorting tables ! |
|
| 1999 |
Montrachet |
A classic structure with lots of
citrus on the nose, greenish tinge in the color, elegant and
balanced, a leaner style for DRC |
**** |
| 1999 |
Romanée Conti |
Except for me and Wolfgang, almost
everyone at the table preferred this wine over 1990 ! Absolutely
pure pinot, very complex and layered, but it is the elegance in the
wine that was quite striking. Deceptively light at the moment, this
wine will definitely acquire body in time. A long life ahead from a
vintage that had "perfect weather conditions" according to Jacques
Seysses and Aubert de Villaine |
***** |
| 2000 |
vintage
conditions |
July and August
were cold with a lot of rain storms. Some botrytis began to appear.
But, fortunately, heat returned on August 20 allowing the maturation
to begin rapidly, gaining more than one degree per week. At harvest
the musts reached more than 13 degrees of alcohol. The harvest which
started in fine weather took nine days for the reds to complete (by
September 22) but the harvest for Montrachet began on the 25th.
Because the botrytis was quite significant, extreme selections were
made at picking and in the winery so that only the perfectly healthy
and ripe grapes were kept. Yields after sorting turned out to be
similar to 1999. |
|
| 2000 |
Montrachet |
A very different (but equally good)
structure compared to the 1999, with more butteriness, more opulence
and fat, due to the presence of botrytis. Undoubtedly, a style that
only DRC can express-- "a sensuous wine" as Aubert de Villaine put
it |
**** |
