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80 Wine Spectator
Tasted two bottles, the second of which was better, but both offered a backward, angular, medium-bodied wine that's very closed and tough. Interesting mocha, spice, licorice, red- and blackberry aromas follow through on the palate, but you wish the finish was more supple and balanced, and not dominated by green, dry and astringent tannins that are surprisingly rustic for such a glamorous wine. Given its track record, perhaps it will smooth out with several year of cellaring, but unlike some top '94 grands crus, it lacks harmony at this stage. Perhaps better after 2005. 1,600 cases made. – .
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.