It is always a treat to have Aubert de Villaine in the UK to show the Domaine’s wines but for a whole evening, over dinner, was a real privilege. The setting of the Drapers Hall (as recently seen in ‘The King’s Speech’) was perfect.  We had Salon 1997 from magnum in the beautiful drawing room to start the evening, giving a real atmosphere of excitement.

Moving through to dinner, Adam Brett-Smith and Aubert de Villaine both spoke about Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and how the evening would work. Aubert then revealed the first wine; Bâtard Montrachet 1997… What? I can hear you think (if that were possible). This wine has never been served outside of the Domaine; it is usually for family consumption only as the Domaine’s 1/12 of a hectare only produces one barrel. There then followed a ‘lost in translation’ moment when Aubert described the Bâtard as being served at the Domaine in “happy hour” – what a wonderful thought, although I think he alluding to happy moments at the Domaine.

The wine was rich with a dash of Botrytis on the nose – Aubert mentioned this was because the Grand Crus of “Montrachet” are in such a great spot that you can wait for later ripeness without the fear of a flabby wine unlike, say, Meursault . The palate was more savoury and very complex with a lovely length, intriguing and moreish. If only there were more. The Pavé of halibut with pea purée and a cèpe sauce worked well but as with the whole night, the wines held the attention while the food just helped out. The way it should be.

So after a unique start, where next? Well, when discussing what to show at this dinner, we thought it would be most interesting to look at a comparison of two of the Grand Cru’s as a main theme. The two we chose were Richebourg and Romanée-Saint-Vivant, the reasons being that they are very similar in quality but different in style. In the hierarchy of the Domaine’s wines, you could say that from 2007 onwards, the Romanée-Saint-Vivant has just edged above the Richebourg; so it was interesting to compare the two.

The first vintage in which we were to compare them was 1995. Aubert spoke of the vintage as one that started out cool with rain into June and heat then arriving in August. September was wet again so Botrytis was a concern. Harvesting was around the 5th October and there was lots of sorting needed. My notes for the Richebourg 1995 have lots of phrases like dense, rich, muscular. There was real power on the nose and an almost menthol freshness, a touch of savory character behind this. The palate was balance but also youthful…a very impressive start from Richebourg. Romanée-Saint-Vivant 1995 by comparison was tasting less obviously youthful, more complex on the nose with a broader spectrum of aromas, almost pine forest freshness on the palate though, more transparent with more finesse that the Richebourg.

As hoped, the personalities showed so well in this pair – it is not as simple as Richebourg being masculine and Romanée-Saint-Vivant being feminine, but I agree there is truth in that judgement. Interestingly Aubert mentioned that he was a believer in the adage that you can’t go wrong opening Grand Crus (or the best 1er Crus) at 15 years of age which, essentially, these were. The small duck cassoulet was a good partner.

We then had the same two Grand Crus, but now from the 1993 vintage. Aubert described it as a vintage not that different in weather from 1995. A tricky beginning with possibilities of mildew, giving way to a heat wave in August, a little rain and then beautiful weather up to the harvest which was between 20th & 30th Sept. I felt the 1993 came across as possibly more ‘wine –serious’ than the 1995′s; a little more structure and acidity. The personalities were all there to see. These will repay more time very well. The rare fillet of beef was mighty impressive especially given the numbers and worked well with the added structure.

I don’t think an evening with wines as great as these can really have a climax, such was the quality all the way through, but if there was one,  it would have to have been the two Grand Crus in the 2003 vintage. The weather is well documented but essentially, savage sun and heat from April to the end of August with 3 big storms. Not like any other year. That kind of sums it up. Aubert commented that he hadn’t tasted the 2003′s in a little while. The rule of leaving 100 days from bud burst to harvest,  was thrown out of the window in 2003 – it was 80 days!! Also intriguing was the idea that Aubert had been tempted to only bottle the 2003 in magnum but as there was so little produced this would have made keeping people happy very difficult indeed.

As the wines age, Aubert feels the mark of the vintage lessens and the climat (the specific vineyard site) begins to show. I think this was starting to happen. The Richebourg had an amazing Pinot/Syrah type nose and a unique (to me at least) density for Pinot in Burgundy. I would say it will be a fascinating wine to follow over the years, if only there was more of it! The Romanée-Saint-Vivant was, to my mind, a stunning wine with a real balance between fruit and structure. I think in time it will be a stunning example of what could be done in 2003. The marked differences in the two Grand Crus was really evident here. The twice baked cheese soufflé I’m afraid didn’t get much of a glance; far too much discussion of the wines. I was delighted we didn’t get into a chat about winners and losers on the night etc, it wasn’t an evening like that and frankly I have no idea which I thought was “best”.

And so baring a glass of “bottled for C&B” Hine 1988 Early landed Cognac (almost too drinkable), the evening was over. Not a dinner I will ever forget. It was a great opportunity to drink wines such as these with customers and friends who love the wine. Surroundings were wonderful and Aubert spoke in his normal concise, relaxed and informative way. The evening felt effortless, which these things never actually are so a big thanks from me for all the behind the scenes work!

 As a note and for accuracy, all the wines had come direct from the Domaine earlier in the week of the tasting.
 

Further Options

As Adam Brett-Smith and I arrived later on in the month, the fog had lifted but it remained resolutely and penetratingly cold. With the craziness of the January Burgundy Offer season behind us, we were able to concentrate on a very different Burgundy trip. We were privileged to be attending a conference held by Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, every two years, for all of their distributors from around the world. The two days are educational: exchanging views, learning about one another and about any projects at the Domaine as well as building on relationships and enjoying, together, a number of extraordinary tastings. This year’s vertical tasting was such a delight – 12 years of Romanée-Saint-Vivant.

When we arrived to taste, the excitement was palpable. This was, after all, a historical event; a tasting mapping the transition years of a vineyard which, all critics agree, has been a star in the ascendant since 1999.  We were about to taste every vintage back to 1999, from 2009, finishing with one single vintage from an earlier era, 1989. The tasting was held in a dramatic, atmospheric, vaulted cellar where cellar master Bernard Noblet and his team had gone to every length to maximise our appreciation, from the pristine layout of glasses, leaves strewn decoratively along the length of a long candlelit table through to the perfect service of wines at just the right temperature.

Some background:

Romanée-Saint-Vivant has both fascinating recent and distant histories and is in transition, even today. The Domaine de la Romanée-Conti owns 5.28 hectares of the whole Romanée-Saint-Vivant vineyard which at 9,43 hectares is the largest Vosne Romanée grand cru.  It is generally accepted that the vineyard was gifted to the Priory of Saint Vincent in 1232. It remained in the hands of the church until confiscated at the time of the revolution. The heart of the vineyard was acquired by Nicolas-Joseph Marey, son-in-law of Gaspard Monge in 1791 along with the cuverie. The property remained within the eminent Marey-Monge from then on until, in 1966, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti leased the property with first refusal rights were it to be sold. They became owners in to this hugely respected dynasty.

Given the size of the vineyard, there is great variation in soil profile, which the Domaine has been researching for many years. In fact, out of four main parcels, only two systematically, one sometimes with the other almost always sold off. We had seen a presentation before the Romanée-Saint Vivant tasting explaining work being overseen by Nicolas Jacob, vineyard manager, in the vineyard today. Vines have been grubbed up so that production will be from a mere 3.5ha in the immediate future, a radical response to drainage issues.

This was stark reminder of what the Domaine is prepared to do to continue the sustainability of this property.

ROMANEE-SAINT-VIVANT VERTICAL TASTING

2009
Intense plum-ruby, this has a beautiful colour and a wonderful nose, heady, primary black and red fruit, violets and crème de mûre, laced with pepper and spice. The palate takes up the gauntlet, presenting similar aromatics on attack, set within a supple, rich texture – silky, with beautifully-integrated ripe tannins. This is very typical Romanée-Saint Vivant, with the hallmark flamboyance of the vintage – lovely wine.
Corney & Barrow Score 18- to 18+

2008
 A vibrant, limpid ruby, this shimmers invitingly in the glass. The nose is beautiful, caramelised and primary berry fruit vying for dominance, refreshed by hints of dried violets and enhanced by a heady dash of spice. The palate is sweet and generous on attack, easing its way gracefully, revealing a layered complexity through to a long finish, supported by fine-grained tannins – perfectly pitched in the context of the vintage 
Corney & Barrow Score 17++ to 18

2007
Glittering, shimmering ruby, with very faint hints of garnet, this gives a sense of a wine in transition. The nose presents a blend of youthful, sweet, fragrant berry fruit though hints at darker, earthy, mature notes, violet and rose potpourri and shades of leather – intriguing. The palate is similarly rather quirky, at odds initially with the nose, offering very pure red and black fruit, liberally spiced with pepper before revealing a much more sedate side, innate richness complemented by good firm tannins and refreshing acidity. Ultimately both the nose and palate are at one – this has longer legs than we once imagined and warrants further patience
Corney & Barrow Score 17+

2006
Deep, firm ruby, with the faintest hint of garnet, this offers a sensation, inviting nose, from the darker, serious end of the spectrum. This concentrated, toasted black fruit, with an earthy backdrop, is echoed on the palate, which is structured and controlled. An exotically perfumed back palate and the extraordinarily protracted finish, hint at how the wine will progress and the perfectly poised balance of tannins acidity concur – very fine
Corney & Barrow Score 18-

2005
Dense, consistent, intense, jet-shot ruby, this is a beautiful colour- decidedly youthful. The nose is decadent, seductive and sweet – a heady blend of youthful primary notes allied to black fruit compote and earthy back notes, liberally spiced and layered with cream, demanding attention. The palate rises to the challenge with a sense of serenity and nobility suggested by the aromatics. Sedate and authoritative, there is innate richness, concentrated black cherry fruit supported by fine, cocoa-dry tannins. Complex and layered, through to a tremendously long finish, it is clear that there is considerable power here, as yet unleashed – very, very good.
Corney & Barrow Score 18+ to 19

2004
Appealing ruby-garnet in colour, this showed a mark contrast in appearance to that of the intense 2005. The nose is lovely, rather debauched, with hints of caramelised fruit tatin, warm fruitcake and emerging secondary aromatics, combined with a persistent, pure primary palette of perfumed red fruit. The palate is rather sensational in the context of the vintage, rounded, silky, seductive layered and complex. By no means weighty, there is nonetheless an assertive personality, a purity and uplifting freshness throughout and a haunting perfume rose and violet – potpourri, rather than freshly-picked. This is a very attractively balanced 2004, with fine, powdery tannins sustained through a long finish.
Corney & Barrow Score 17 to 18

2003
A very deep, jet-shot ruby, this is very youthful in appearance. The nose is so unusual, playing at the senses with an enticing combination of fresh primary perfume allied to super-spicy, cranberry and cigar box notes with a backdrop which hints at secondary aromas, leather and undergrowth. The palate is something of a surprise, richly-textured certainly yet it dances – gregarious, almost flirtatious in its freshness. There is nonetheless a healthy sense of grip and the finish is both long and high-toned -  remarkable
Corney & Barrow Score 18 to 19

2002
Ruby-garnet in colour, this presents a sherbet-sweet, perfumed nose, bright red fruit and dried petal potpourri. The are hints of hallmark 2002 on the nose, a slightly stalky character playing second fiddle to the fruit. There is something of a disparity between the nose and palate, the latter delivering a plethora of sweet red and black fruit before any hint of the vintage kicks in. Bright and vivacious, this has so much energy and freshness.  There is an elegance and intensity which continues to drive through a long, black fruit profile on the finish
Corney & Barrow Score 17 to(18–) 

2001
A maturing plum-garnet, this is slightly more consistent in colour than the 2002 with a firm, deep core. The nose presents a lovely, decadent, haunting blend of dried fruit compote, juniper, leather and spice, with both lifted freshness and savoury intrigue. The palate maintains this play between youthful fruit and hints of gently advancing maturity. Layers of macerated dark fruit, spice and mocha cream are supported by fine-grained tannins – elegant, intense and beautifully balanced this shows impressive generosity – lovely wine
Corney & Barrow Score 18 to 19

2000
Deep garnet in hue, this offers a very intense, pronounced nose – a combination of macerated autumnal fruit, warm cherry compote, cedar, tobacco and savoury, meaty notes – complex. The palate is cream-textured and upbeat, elegant and fresh – extremely youthful and engaging on attack. There is understated generosity here which has yet to fulfil its potential. Likewise, the palate needs time to meet the challenge presented by the intricacy of the nose but the balance is there and the tannins are sweet and well-integrated, supporting a long, gentle finish.
Corney & Barrow Score 17 to(18+)

1999 
Intense jet-garnet, dense and firm to the core, this 1999 makes an immediate impact. The nose is very subdued, corseted, just hinting at tobacco, spice, macerated black fruit compote, liquorice and pepper. The palate is rich and seductive though remains strictly-controlled, dark, brooding fruit, coated well-integrated ripe tannins, pursuing a focused trajectory from the attack through to the long, pure finish. This seems like textbook Romanée-Saint -Vivant at a very early stage in what will be a long development – so young, so lovely and with so much promise – gorgeous wine.
Corney & Barrow Score 19 to 20 

1989
Slightly faded garnet-tawny, this definitely shows some maturity in terms of appearance. The nose is rather lovely, debauched, presenting leather, game and spice, complemented by a persistent, dried petal perfume. The palate is initially more adroit on attack with dried dark fruit focus to the fore, drier than suggested on the perfumed nose but with an ethereal, captivating beauty, attractive concentration and hallmark Romanée-Saint-Vivant freshness and purity.
Corney & Barrow Score 18 to 18+

Further Options

The start of En Primeur and other things have got in the way of writing up the evening when 1 Thomas More Street hosted a seriously memorable Presentation Dinner. Two months of work by Adam, Bernadette and Davina saw the office converted out of almost all recognition – the entrance to the sales floor had a trio of musicians in it, the drawing room furniture had evaporated and two soldiers stood on guard at the entrance!! Even before crossing the threshold the change was appreciable from the flags – one British and one French. All this for as deserved an award as you can image in the World of Wine – Aubert de Villaine being “crowned” Decanter Man of the Year. Now we at C&B are very privileged to have the relationships we do but you could really see just how lucky from the wines on display that evening.

Before (and during!) the big group photo outside the office Salon 1997 was poured from magnum with Didier Depond in attendance. The 1997 was tighter (as you would expect) from magnum than bottle, a brilliant start to the evening and as much a wine as a Champagne as Salon always is.

As one of the pouring team, I am afraid that from here my version of events will be different from those that will no doubt appear in Decanter as we were behind the scenes checking the wines and then serving them. First up from the the cellars of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti was Le Montrachet 2003, now this I going to sound absurdly understated but it was gorgeously drinkable and balanced already. There was real depth but no hint of hot 03ishness (if that’s a word). The glass we poured changed through the evening and was spectacular throughout. From this most magical of starts we moved to the two reds – La Tâche 1991 & Romanée-Conti 1971 – both these and the Le Montrachet were direct from the Domaine’s stocks and had been shipped for the event. The Romanée-Conti 1971 had been re-corked at the Domaine in 1996 and was awesomely consistent across the bottles and quite honestly the best wine I have tasted with so much ripeness whilst being developed yet youthful, simply extraordinary. The La Tâche by comparison was younger tasting and more primary (everything is relative). The two wines next to each other just showed the Domaines prowess so well, one majestic example of basically “perfection” the other a brilliant example of the Domaine’s consistency and skill at making great wine in less glamourous (compared to it’s predecessors) vintages. After the presentation (another glass of Salon 1997 served – poor things!) we served together – Fine de Bourgogne 1991 and Fonseca 1963 – some people had both, some were more restrained and went for the Port. Both were cracking examples of their type, the Foncesa to my mind was still youthful but at the same time drinking brilliantly. The Fine – and I always think I shouldn’t be suckered into these things – was lovely too, elegant but not with out punch, ok so no a patch on the wines but a lovely thing to have at such a unique evening.

A note on serving, the wines were all just opened and poured from bottle, no decanting, except for the Fonseca which was decanted at 5pm. The temperature was deliberately cool to allow evolution in the glass.

The evening ended gradually with a few of the home team making use of the garden for a chat and a cigar (Petit Robusto from Hoyo de Montrerry – but I digress into one of my other passions) over a glass of the Fine. And that was that, a night that was without doubt the most unique since we moved to 1 Thomas More street and probably a lot longer…it will live long in the memory.

Read more about this event on Decanter, Jancis Robinson and Anthony Rose’s websites:
http://www.decanter.com/news/297988.html (additional filmed interview)
http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/a201005184.html
http://www.anthonyrosewine.com/journal/2010/5/man-all-seasons-aubert-de-villaine-domaine-de-la-roman%C3%A9ee-conti

Further Options

For the first time I can remember (and amazingly this was my 11th vintage) the DRC Press Tasting was on a Monday. As is traditional now the wines are shown to the press just after bottling, which was done in the last two months. The Domaine de la Romanée-Conti wines are amazingly easy to taste at this young stage. I have always thought it would not be the case even as little as 3 months later when they start to become constrained by bottling. It’s always a massively exciting tasting regardless of the vintage as you are dealing with the very essence of terroir. The tasting takes a relaxed yet studious tone, there is very little talking at all, whilst Aubert is almost always in attendance, as he was again this year, there is no speech or presentation. The wines are “left” to do the talking themselves. The wines (no Vosne Romanée 1er Cru Duvault Blochet this year) are tasted in the order below with the Montrachet never shown (more of that later!), the notes are my own and brief – I’m not a massive fan of scores so there aren’t any – each wine taken on its merits, it’s not a competition after all:

Echézeaux – Beautifully “Pinot”, red fruits, elegant and feminine, good acidity and poise, long finish…very impressive.

Grands Echézeaux – Immediately less obvious than Echézeaux, fruit red again with a hint of something darker, a leafy note and more impressive on the palate than nose at this stage.

Richebourg – As with last year tasted before the Romanée-St-Vivant, Richebourg was more gutsy with a masculine edge, serious and more brooding to me.

Romanée-St-Vivant – Classy and a little more “showy” than the others so far, red fruit again, rich and a touch decadent, the biggest (good) surprise for me.

La Tâche – As is often the case (almost always for me) the most obviously performing wine and, if I were pressed, the most impressive, richness and splendor combined, brilliant texture, hidden structure too.

Romanée-Conti – The nose showed more than some years, exquisite balance and harmony, palate tighter and giving less away…so impressive and true.

With the tasting over before 12.30 it was brilliant to have a brief window for Aubert to present the wines and vintage to the entire C&B Team, the samples were minute – it’s amazing how far a bottle can go – the entire press and home team requiring less that 2 bottles of each wine!! Aubert is always calm when speaking and manages to make something very complex sound simple. “A vintage that will be for the nose” being one of the more memorable quotes.

From 1 Thomas More Street those that were lunching – Adam, Alison, Rachel and & I were hosting Aubert, Serena Sutcliffe MW, Anthony Hanson MW & Remington Norman MW – moved on to Lunch at C&B Paternoster Square. The post tasting Lunch has been a tradition, a massive personal highlight, and a thank you to Aubert for as long as I can remember. It is a good chance to relax and get the views of some of the wine world’s biggest names. Exciting though this is for me there is nothing to rival the fact that we now taste the Le Montrachet 2007 at lunch. The 2007 was a spectacular wine, especially when you consider it was the last picked of the wines (17th September) and you can well see it. A gorgeous young gold colour and exotic nose, to make an almost farcical comparison it reminded me of the 2005 with a dash more zest and acidity – you could drink it now or at anytime over the next ?? years – as Adam’s tasting note says, Noble Wine. The other wines at lunch were the 2007 Echézeaux, Romanée-St-Vivant & La Tâche. In particular the La Tâche shone again for me. Conversation flowed – everything from the Hospice auction to Le Corton to the En Primeur 2009 campaign in Bordeaux – but one question I wanted to ask Aubert, because we get asked it a lot, was which vintage the 2007 wines reminded Aubert of. He said the weather was so unique that it was hard but eventually he said a civil marriage (no churches) of 1997 and 2004.

The only problem for me now is what on earth do you do on Tuesday when your Monday is that good?

Further Options