Domaine de la Romanée Conti, Romanee Conti Grand Cru Monopole 2015

vinous99

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2015 Romanée-Conti rand Cru was picked at 22.65hl/ha on 10 September. This is almost dichotomous to the La Tâche: feminine, sensual, pure with perfumed red cherries, wild strawberry, crushed limestone and rose petals that are all exquisitely defined. These aromatics? They seem to sing to you. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannin that render this so poised and precise, yet simultaneously deep and quite powerful. In a sense, it is more like a La Tâche in style, a Romanée-Conti that seeks to assert its authority from day one. There is wonderful cohesion and harmony here, an effortless quality that distinguishes this historic vineyard. There is no doubt in my mind that this is a bona fide classic Romanée-Conti, one of the finest that I have tasted in over two decades attending this same tasting in bottle. Tasted at Corney & Barrow’s annual in bottle tasting in London.

vinous98

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer

Full dark red. Slightly darker and more reticent on the nose than La Tâche, dominated in the early going by black raspberry, cherry, spices, crushed rock and coffee. Enters the mouth like liquid velvet, expanding to show an incredible 3-D texture and great depth to its soil-inflected flavors of flowers, spices, mocha, underbrush and savory minerality. At the first sip, this utterly seamless, spherical yet rather youthfully impenetrable wine saturates the entire palate like a thunderstorm breaking out across a wide front. Today I don't find the typical early vegetal nuances of this wine, perhaps owing to the total ripeness of the vintage. Still an infant, this wine should easily evolve positively for three decades or more. When I spit this wine, I thought I still had it in my mouth, such is its impression of solidity.

vinous99

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer

(not racked): Bright, deep red. Aromas of black raspberry, coffee and licorice show a distinct torrefaction quality as well as piquant suggestions of pepper, flowers and wild herbs. Wonderfully dense and refined, combining the power of the Romanée-Saint-Vivant and the spherical texture and smoky, peppery, veggie complexity that's typical of Romanée-Conti in its early years. This remarkably velvety wine fills every nook and cranny in the mouth without leaving any impression of weightiness. The explosive finish features utterly noble tannins and great palate-staining length. This potentially monumental wine shows more sweetness today than La Tâche and is surprisingly easy to taste. But it's hard to believe that it won't evolve positively in bottle for three or four decades.