Wine Advisor
Domaine de la Romanée Conti, Romanee Conti Grand Cru Monopole 2012
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Description
Domaine de la Romanee Conti Romanee Conti Grand Cru comes from an exceptional plot. The last in Burgundy to resist the phylloxera outbreak. However, in the Second World War it couldn’t tolerate the lack of carbon sulfur and for five years it didn’t produce vintages. It’s currently in top form through organic farming with biodynamic treatments. Maturation is exemplary with extremely low yields, leaving nothing to chance and carrying out several selection stages in the vineyard. After manual harvesting, the Domaine de la Romanee Conti Romanee Conti Grand Cru grapes are gently crushed and then macerated with their skins at a controlled temperature. Fermentation takes place in wooden barrels and finally the wine matures for 12 months in new French oak barrels acquired 3 years before and dried by the house cooper. Fruit of a unique Grand Cru, the magnificence of Domaine de la Romanee Conti Romanee Conti Grand Cru is known across the world. An impeccable work both in the vineyard and in harvesting which makes it the dream of every good wine lover. Without a doubt, the most sublime Pinot Noir.
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2012 Romanée-Conti, usually a model of restraint and elusiveness, is surprisingly big in this vintage. The flavors are quite dark and bold in a decidedly structured, brooding RC that won't be ready to deliver the full range of its extraordinary beauty for many years. Deep layers of spiced, mentholated notes continue to open up in a dazzling, contemplative Burgundy. Readers lucky enough to latch on to a few bottles are incredibly fortunate, let's leave it at that.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
Graphite, minerals, savory herbs and black fruit emerge from the 2012 Romanée-Conti. Powerful and explosive to the core, the 2012 captures the essence of the year in its energy and pure, unbridled intensity. Romanée-Conti can sometimes be a bit elusive. Not in 2012. All the elements fall into perfect balance.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Full, dark red. Extremely closed nose hints at darker fruits, black olive, underbrushy soil tones and noble vegetility. Then shows its extraordinary amplitude and spherical shape in the mouth, with youthfully clenched but extremely rich flavors of berries, wild herbs, smoky minerals, underbrush and crushed rock broadening out on the back half and rising inexorably on the finish. This big boy has buns of steel without any heaviness and saturates every square millimeter of the palate. The endless, classically dry finish features substantial tannins and crushed rock, smoke and saline nuances. Perhaps a bit youthfully sullen following the higher-pitched, more floral La Tâche, but this wine is even longer.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(this was the estate's first Cote de Nuits vineyard harvested in 2012, on September 22): Dark red-ruby. Ineffable complexity on the nose, including scents of pungent minerals, black raspberry, licorice, white pepper and noble herbs (another world, commented de Villaine). Not a powerhouse but an essence of berries, with an incredibly voluptuous mouth feel enlivened by wild herbs and spices. This saline, 3-D beauty coats the palate with a texture of liquid silk. The tactile, superconcentrated, incredibly long finish leaves behind a perfume that refuses to dissipate. I just about ran out of points for this one! (I should note that de Villaine said it reminds him of the legendary 1962.)
About the Producer
The Domaine de la Romanée-Conti or DRC is one of the most prestigious wine estates in the world with 25.5 hectares mostly in Vosne-Romanée on the route des Grands Crus in the vineyards of the Côte de Nuits of the Burgundy vineyards (named after the 1.8 hectare Clos de la Romanée-Conti, one of the most prestigious mythical grands crus in the world). The civil company of the same name was founded in 1942 by Edmond Gaudin de Villaine. It is now co-managed for their heir family by the winegrowers Aubert de Villaine and Perrine Fenal.
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