Richebourg, Domaine de la Romanée Conti 2018

The colour is a very rich deep purple. The bouquet is classical Richebourg, offering peonies compared to the roses of St Vivant. Gorgeously headily perfumed, with a balanced weight of fruit. The attack immediately shows a sweetness of fruit, a little touch of grenadine, some blood orange, for me this is well ahead of Romanée St-Vivant in 2018. Not just an extra layer of velvet, but ever more detail on the palate. Absolutely dancing, not sure if the king is allowed to disport himself thus.

An ultra-spicy and very ripe nose combines liqueur-like aromas of black cherry, raspberry and cassis that are trimmed in a beautiful array of spice elements. There is outstanding intensity to the concentrated big-bodied flavors that brim with both minerality and dry extract that confers a sappy texture to the mid-palate while also enrobing the very firm tannic spine shaping the superbly complex, powerful and massively long finish. This is a stunningly good Richebourg that should amply repay long-term cellaring.