Tasting Notes from Jasper Morris

"Mid crimson with a lighter rim. A depth of predominantly strawberry fruit, with white peppers lifting the aromatics. Very slightly herbaceous, then a touch of vanilla. The bouquet is undeniably complex, bringing in waves of these different aspects, first one to the fore, then another. Just a little orange zest now within the otherwise red fruits. The fruit surges across the palate, with fine density, the oak certainly present, a suggestion of Jerusalem artichoke to indicate the less ripeness of 2021 compared to other recent years. A suggestion of liquorice to finish, along with the white pepper. All these notes will combine to make a complex and fascinating Corton which will gain in sensuality with time. Drink from 2028-2036."

Additional Notes from Wilson Daniels:

"Considered the pinnacle of Burgundy, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti produces some of the world’s most revered wines from its tiny vineyards in Vosne-Romanée. Two of the Domaine’s seven grand cru vineyards — La Romanée-Conti and La Tâche — are monopoles and unarguably the greatest vineyards in Burgundy. Montrachet in Chassagne, Richebourg, Romanée-St.-Vivant, Grands Échézeaux and Echézeaux are also grand cru vineyards, yielding sublime wines that are among the most highly sought after, seductive and rarest in the world.

Aubert de Villaine had been barely able to contain his enthusiasm for the 2020 vintage when I saw him last year, and looking at the 2020s from bottle with Perrine Fenal at the domaine this year only confirmed why. This is a striking vintage for the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, which is both very stylistically distinctive—and in that sense, even a little atypical—but which also shows the estate's different terroirs very clearly. The 2020s aren't as sensual and red-fruited as the 2019s; they're deeper-pitched and spicier in profile and will demand more patience, even if both vintages are likely to prove similarly long-lived. The domaine's white wines are also especially successful this year. I've also included tasting notes on the nascent 2021s from barrel, but it's the in-bottle notes, tasted at the domaine in ideal conditions, that are as ever the most important commentaries on each vintage."