Log in / Sign up Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands Échézeaux 2020
Domaine de la Romanée Conti is co-owned by the de Villaine and Leroy/Roch families, the former successors to Jacques-Marie Duvault-Blochet who bought the vineyard of La Romanée Conti in 1869, the latter since acquiring the shares of other descendants of Duvault-Blochet in 1942. The Domaine is today run by Aubert de Villaine. Many people in Burgundy just refer to 'DRC' as the Domaine. The Domaine has 25 hectares of vineyards, all Grand Crus. As well as the 1.8-hectare monopole La Romanée Conti, the Domaine purchased its other monopole, La Tâche, in 1933, along with significant holdings in the grand crus of Richebourg, Romanée-St-Vivant, Grands Échezeaux, Échezeaux, and Le Montrachet at various points in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Domaine is the largest owner of each of the red wine grand crus.
The wines are made by Alexandre Bernier, in succession to Bernard Noblet. Whole clusters are used (no destemming) with a long vatting time to avoid excesses of heat. Yields are mind-numbingly low and the winemaking is traditional and perfectionist. These are not merely among the most sumptuous wines of Burgundy but certainly the most stylish. Ancestor Jacques-Marie Duvault-Blochet was an advocate of harvesting late in order to ensure optimum ripeness, a philosophy to which his descendants adhere today.
The small commune of Vosne-Romanée is the Côte de Nuits’ brightest star, producing the finest and most expensive Pinot Noir wines in the world, and boasting no fewer than eight Grand Cru vineyards. Its wines have an extraordinary intensity of fruit that manages to combine power and finesse more magically than in any other part of the Côte d’Or. The best examples balance extraordinary depth and richness with elegance and breeding. In the village of Flagey-Échezeaux, lying almost entirely within the Échezeaux Grand Cru itself lies a much smaller, more exclusive Grand Cru that is made up of the best one of the 12 vineyards that are used to make up the two Grands Crus. The other 11 are merged together to create the Échezeaux Grand Cru, but the single grandest vineyard of them all, which is about 18.6 acres, is designated with the Grands title. Yields are also generally lower, and in fact, usually, only about 3,000 cases per year of wine are produced. The number of producers is a fraction of that of Échezeaux itself.
This is the fastest maturing and least complex of all the Domaine's wines. It opens before the others, displaying a delightful clarity of expression: a seductive tenderness overlays a firm structure which allows it to evolve with elegance. Grands-Echézeaux's little brother it sometimes approaches its style in terms of muscularity and power.
The 2020 Grands Échézeaux Grand Cru offers a captivating aromatic profile, with mulberries and cassis taking the forefront, mingling gracefully with the zesty notes of orange peel. These delightful scents are further enriched by hints of exotic spices and the subtle fragrance of rose petals.
On the palate, this wine presents itself as full-bodied, seamless, and complete. Its texture is remarkably layered and fleshy, creating a luxurious and satisfying mouthfeel. The tasting experience is crowned with a long, penetrating, and saline finish. The wine's fruit concentration is so pronounced that the rich, powdery tannins are nearly imperceptible, contributing to its overall harmony. While in the last decade, Grands-Échézeaux may have taken a back seat to Romanée-Saint-Vivant and Richebourg, in the case of the 2020 vintage, it asserts itself with unparalleled distinction.
