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DRC 6 Bottle Assortment, Domaine de la Romanée Conti 2013

Tasting Notes

*Montrachet*- 96 points
A whiff of post-bottling reduction does little to detract from the strikingly well-layered and ever-so-mildly exotic fruit, white flower and softly wooded nose. The super-rich and full-bodied yet beautifully delineated flavors possess a borderline painful intensity along with a taut muscularity before culminating a focused, tightly wound and powerful finale that really fans out as it sits on the palate. Moreover this markedly dry but not really austere effort is what I describe as sneaky long because just as the finish appears to be dying away it suddenly come back and plays hide and seek with your palate. Like most vintages of the Domaine's Montrachet this is undeniably built-to-age but unlike some of them the 2013 rendition is not likely to drink particularly well before the age of at least 10 and should reward somewhere between 15 and 20. Drink: 2028+

*La Tache*- 95 points
Deep ruby. Once again a highly reticent nose only grudgingly gives up discreet, if attractively perfumed, notes of rose petal, spice and an ultra-pure assortment of red berry fruit scents. Like the Riche this possesses that wonderful inner mouth perfume that makes the Vosne grand crus justifiably so famous. There is wonderful intensity to the sleek big-bodied flavors that display plenty of punch and authority on the impeccably well-balanced and hugely long and very firmly structured finish. While La Tâche is often a very powerful wine, the 2013 version seems particularly so and it would be accurately described as a beautiful combination of power and refinement. Drink: 2033+

*Richebourg*- 94 points
A distinctly cool and restrained nose is comprised by notes of both red and dark currant, cinnamon, violet, Pekoe tea, clove, hoisin and noticeable wood treatment. The imposingly-scaled, concentrated and almost painfully intense mineral-driven flavors possess a beguiling inner mouth perfume that continues onto the robust, earthy, dusty and moderately austere finish that, somewhat curiously, is noticeably shorter than usual. This dense, structured and ultra-serious effort feels as though it is only beginning to take shape and as such my score offers the benefit of the doubt that this will come together with time in bottle of which I underscore that plenty will be required. Drink: 2033+

*Romanée St Vivant*- 93 points
Here the subtly oaked nose is not only more expressive but more floral and perfumed as well with its elegant and airy array of highly spiced red currant, herbal tea and sandalwood scents. There is a silky texture to the wonderfully precise, tight, intense and vibrant medium weight flavors that possess really lovely good complexity, all wrapped in a gorgeously persistent finale. Drink: 2030+

*Echezeaux*- 92 points
A beautifully spicy if distinctly reticent nose features notes of cassis, plum, violets, lilac, herbal tea and sandalwood. There is excellent richness to the generously proportioned and very suave medium-bodied flavors that deliver fine depth and length on the balanced, focused and attractively vibrant finale that displays just a hint of youthful edginess. While this should age effortlessly it should also be more approachable sooner than the Corton. Drink: 2025+

*Corton*- 92 points
A very fresh and expressive nose features notes of dried flowers, pungent earth, plum, dark berries and plenty of the sauvage. I was impressed by the texture of the broad-shouldered and muscular flavors that possess very good volume and ample punch on the complex, balanced and impressively persistent finish. This cuvée is definitely improving as the viticultural changes have been implemented and it's not hard to believe that it won't be too long before the Corton catches, if not necessarily surpasses, the Ech in terms of wine quality. This is more impressive than it might otherwise seem because the Echézeaux has itself made significant progress over the last 5 vintages. Drink: 2028+

95
Allen Meadows, Burghound.com (61), January 2016
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.