1997 | Domaine de la Romanee Conti | Grands Echezeaux (Double Magnum)

The nose is beautifully complex, boasting aromas of dark red fruit, white pepper and some oak. On the palate, mouth-coating flavours of cherries, plums, a touch of anise and hints of oak. Superb.

Reviews:

• Burghound: All the promise this showed in my last review (see Issue 13) is alive and well and while the floral yet extremely earthy nose with elegant ripe, pure, intense, beautifully delineated crushed black fruit aromas is still quite expressive, the plum and anise laced broad-shouldered flavors that were closing down have begun to open once again. The finish displays firm, dusty, almost robust structure yet the tannins themselves seem refined and overall, this is an incredibly powerful wine, indeed even a forceful one but with no lack of class. There remains fine upside potential here and to that end I have slightly upgraded my score as this is a very special wine. I should note however that this has arrived at the stage of its evolution where it's clearly not yet fully mature but it's not so far away that it can't be enjoyed, particularly if given 30 minutes of air first.
  

• Decanter: Good fullish colour. Aromatic, spicy, slightly burnt nose. But most enticing red fruit behind it. Full body. Now mellow but with plenty of vigour. Very good acidity. Cool and classy. Lots of depth. Medium-full body. No enormous grip, but it evolved well in the glass. Fine plus for the vintage.

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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