2012 | Domaine de la Romanee Conti | Montrachet

Full yellow-gold. Multifaceted, terroir-driven nose and palate combine lemon zest, hay, honey, medicinal herbs and menthol. Thick, rich and deep yet somehow taut, showing terrific sappiness and concentration.

Reviews:

• Vinous: A bit subdued at first, the 2012 Montrachet needs a little time in the glass before its explosive personality bursts forward. Dense, rich and exotic to the core, the 2012 is one of the more flamboyant Montrachets in recent memory, even though there was no botrytis that year, so the 2012 retains a good sense of freshness as well. There is a real sense of phenolic intensity in the 2012 that is impossible to miss, while the wine's richness is deftly balanced by enough acidity to keep things lively for such a big wine. The low yields of the vintage produced a concentrated, opulent Montrachet that will drink well for decades. Sadly, two hail storms and the severe selection that followed took with it about half of the normal production.

• Burghound: An all but an invisible touch of wood sets off exceptionally pure, perfumed and notably spicy aromas of various white orchard fruits, citrus, floral, jasmine tea and a hint of tangerine rind. The super-rich and full-bodied flavors possess seemingly an endless reserve of dry extract that completely drenches the palate before culminating in an almost painfully intense and explosively persistent finish. This is a big wine yet it dances across the palate; indeed I would go so far as to say that the 2012 Montrachet is less in the DRC style than usual and for two reasons: first is that there is virtually no exoticism to the nose and secondly the mouth feel is markedly less opulent than usual. To be sure, this is not a wine of finesse in the proper sense of the term but at the same time it's not nearly as robust as usual either. I can't wait to see this beauty in 12 to 15 years times as it's absolutely packed with upside development potential.

Producer Information

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, or DRC as it is commonly known, is easily Burgundy's best-known and most collectible wine producer. Based in the Burgundy village of Vosne-Romanée, the domaine sells wines from eight different grand cru vineyards that span the length of the Côte d'Or. The most famous comes from the eponymous Romanée-Conti vineyard, and on average is the most expensive wine in the world. The domaine predominately produces Pinot Noir-based wines from 28 hectares (69 acres) of grand cru vineyard. Alongside Romanée-Conti are La Tâche, Romanée-Saint-Vivant and Richebourg in Vosne-Romanée; plus Échezeaux and Grands Échezeaux bottlings. Fruit from Corton-Bressandes, Corton Clos du Roi and Corton Renardes is combined in a single Corton Grand Cru red. There are three white (Chardonnay) wines made. Only one of these, the Montrachet is made widely avilable. A Bâtard-Montrachet and a Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits are not publically distributed. Of course, La Romanée-Conti is the domaine's most famous asset, and the amount of wine made from less than 2ha (5 acres) of land amounts to just 6000 bottles a year. The vineyard has a long history, dating back to the Abbey of Saint-Vivant in the 13th Century. It took on the Romanée name in 1631, and the Conti in 1760. In 1869, it was obtained by Jacques-Marie Duvault-Blochet, who left it to his great grandchildren upon his death. It was then that the Société-Civile du Domaine de la Romanée-Conti was established to avoid Napoleonic inheritance laws. Today, DRC is owned in part by the de Villaine family and in part by the Leroy family. Aubert de Villaine is the figurehead of the company now – although it was famously run by Lalou Bize-Leroy for a time, until a dispute saw her ousted from control. DRC's eight grand cru wines are a familiar label on the world auction scene, and are notable for the high prices they regularly fetch, particularly the Romanée-Conti. Unfortunately, this comes with its own challenges – it is also one of the world's most frequently counterfeited wines.

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