Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg 2021
P.O.A
In stock
750ml
Burgundy, France
Vintages
Description
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". DRC wine is as good as it gets.
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 owners 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 avoiding 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.
Rating
98 points
Decanter
The colour is as deep as the Romanée-Saint-Vivant, but the Richebourg is an entirely different wine, less forward and more substantial. It seems somewhat reserved, but as it opens, there are impressive layers of flavour, from a ripe black cherry fruit to a sweet floral note and hints of graphite and menthol that are very attractive. Although the Romanée-Saint-Vivant is more forward, the Richebourg has more cellar potential - it's difficult not to bump this up a notch upon review. This wine should start to open properly after ten years in bottle. Picked 29 September – 1 October; 4,262 bottles produced.
