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96 Robert Parker
The 2014 Romanée-Conti Grand Cru is not a million miles away from the Richebourg in style, again with hints of damp earth and woodland, quite ethereal as it often is at this stage, becoming more "airy" as it opens in the glass. The palate is structured on the entry, a little fuller and broader than the La Tâche, almost less discrete (though that sounds too pejorative). The acidity drives this forward and there is great substance on the finish. It will be intriguing to see whether this Romanée-Conti will retain this chutzpah once in bottle.
Producer
Domaine de la Romanée Conti
Not only the most iconic domaine in Burgundy, but also possibly in France and even in the world. With a monopoly of the two greatest vineyards - Romanée-Conti and La Tâche - and with a generous handful of some others within Vosne-Romanée and beyond, it secured its revered position all while being completely discreet and even modest. It is co-owned by the Villaine and Leroy-Roch families, with Aubert de Villaine guiding the ship since 1974. But it can trace its roots back to the 13th century, when its first vines were planted by the monks of Saint-Vivant. They have been organic since the 1980s and biodynamic since the 1990s. They are also undoubtedly the most famous domaine in the region that uses (and has always used) whole cluster fermentation, an established technique that was eschewed by Henri Jayer, but has inspired many others in recent years. Allen Meadows, arguably the most knowledgeable Burgundy expert and critic in the world, has only given one wine a perfect score - the 1945 Romanée-Conti.