The VAULT

wines

Light red. Beautiful nose, very youthful and pure. A vegetal note emerges with air. Packed with dense fruit and marked by a very firm structure of both acidity and dense tannins. The fruit is locked up right now in this massive, powerful La Tâche. Rather than open in the glass, this appears to close up, but have faith; this will be great.--La Tâche non-blind vertical. Best from 2010 through 2030. — BSWine Spectator | 95 WS(Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche Grand Cru Red) The nose evidences a slight floral quality, and a fascinating mix of earth, leather, tea and spice notes plus an interesting green bark component. The slightly austere, tannic, wonderfully rich flavors are dense, in fact extremely dense with excellent depth and terrific complexity and a finish that seems to go on forever. Though there are now hints of secondary aromas, this remains very young, structured and remarkably intense. When you get the right bottle, the ’93 can be a real stunner. Note: the inconsistency of this wine continues unabated as a bottle opened at the Domaine recently was almost aggressively vegetal and awkward. In short, when it’s good it’s very good but I’ve now had too many disappointing bottles not to be wary. (Drink starting 2018)Burghound | 95 BH

Amazing balance and purity of flavors, extending from the complex crushed cranberry, rose petal and raspberry scents to the touches of mineral, tea, and forest floor. Great texture, muscle and length.Wine Spectator | 97 WS(Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche Grand Cru Red) As noted in the original review just after bottling, the once reserved nose is now starting to come out of its shell as there is plenty of the hallmark spice and floral components that are broad and deep and while the aromas are still on the restrained side, they are still most impressive. The big and generous flavors are an exercise in contrasts as they are at once round and rich while remaining wonderfully defined and precise with an intense minerality coming to the fore, all wrapped in a linear, precise and palate staining finish that not is explosive. Even at such a young age, the palate impression is entirely harmonious and the transparency and purity of expression are something to see. As I noted in the original review, while I do not argue that the ’06 La Tâche rivals vintages like ’99 or ’05, there is something special about this one that causes me to already be in love with it. In a word, magnificent and my original description needs no modification except perhaps to observe that this is a Zen-like vintage for La Tâche as it is very calm and deliberate in demeanor. (Drink starting 2026).Burghound | 96 BHGood colour. The nose is a bit hidden. But it is evident that this is a big step up on the Richebourg. More concentration. More volume. More depth. Above all more class and definition. Very lovely balanced fruit and an excellent long finish. Very fine plus.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2006 La Tâche is the most layered and pliant of these four 2006s. I especially admire the wine’s inner sweetness and perfume, both qualities that carry through to the creamy, expressive finish. This is a terrific showing from the 2006.Antonio Galloni | 96 AGDomaine de La Romanee-Conti’s 2006 La Tache possesses a sense of sheer density and a viscosity – by no means precluding energy – that go beyond the other wines in the Domaine’s current collection. Scents of bitter-sweet floral perfume, citrus oils, white pepper, peat, and black fruit distillates pungently, almost aggressively fill the nose. The marrow and beef gelatin aspect of this Pinot is salient, but is allied on a palpably tannic palate with similarly impressive concentrated cooked black fruits, dark mushroom stock, forest floor, smoky Lapsang tea, and licorice. For grip and power, too, this surpasses its stable mates. But a glance back at the Romanee-St.-Vivant suggests that you can’t have it all, and that this La Tache cannot approach that wine’s finesse or quite equal its mystery. Still, I suspect this will be worth following for at least two decades.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RP

Picked 16th September. Clear bright colour with a lightly orange tint. Absolutely caresses the palate. Dancing little fruits, alpine strawberries, a touch of light raspberry. Really graceful and gracious and very long. Really smart winemaking here. Good balance of sugar and phenolic ripeness. Silky tannins. Still really pretty when revisited after tasting the 2015.John Gilman | 94 JGPicked 16th September. Clear bright colour with a lightly orange tint. Absolutely caresses the palate. Dancing little fruits, alpine strawberries, a touch of light raspberry. Really graceful and gracious and very long. Really smart winemaking here. Good balance of sugar and phenolic ripeness. Silky tannins. Still really pretty when revisited after tasting the 2015.Jasper Morris | 94 JMA decidedly ripe but reasonably fresh array mixes both red currant and dark berry aromas that are liberally laced with notes of various floral, sauvage and earth nuances. There is first-rate volume and power to the serious, intense and overtly muscular big-bodied flavors that coat the palate with dry extract on the robust, moderately rustic and impressively long finish where a touch of acid tang gradually emerges. As one would expect from a 6 year old Corton, this remains very backward even with extended air so the ’15 DRC Corton is a wine to basically store and forget for another decade and perhaps even a bit longer.Burghound | 93 BHBright medium red Wild perfume of strawberry, raspberry, pepper, caramel and earth Lovely precision and lift to the tangy raspberry, cherry and spice flavors complicated by saline minerality Quite tight today, showing a restrained sweetness Finishes with firm-edged, slightly tough tannins and excellent length A very good vintage for this grand cru blendVinous Media | 92+ VMThe 2014 Corton Grand Cru was picked on 16 September at 25 hectoliters per hectare. It has a beguiling bouquet with wonderful lift and transparency: morello cherry, crushed strawberry, a touch of orange blossom, aromas that are beautifully defined. The palate is well balanced with a little chalkiness on the entry. It is brimming with quite feisty tart red fruit, a little spicier than previous vintages. The finish is elegant and refined, not as complex as I suspect the 2015 Corton will eventually become, yet there is wonderful harmony and mineralité in situ. One of the more "airy" Cortons from the domaine. 483 cases produced. Tasted February 2017.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPThe Domaine’s Corton, which debuted with the 2009 vintage, is a blend of Bressandes, Clos du Roi and Rénardes. The 2014 displays a pale robe, opening in the glass to reveal aromas of red berries, cedary new oak and incipient nuances of soil and fallen leaves. On the palate the wine is fresh and refined, with a supple, elegant attack, a sapid mid-palate and a good finish. Happily, the Domaine doesn’t seem to have fallen prey to the suzukii fruit fly whose influence marks some 2014 Cortons; but 2014 does seem to have been a challenging year in this part of the Côte, and this is very much a delicate, mid-weight, savoury rendition of this classically powerful and robust appellation. Harvested on 16 September.Decanter | 90 DEC