The annual DRC arrivage tasting was organized by Martel St.Gallen, the official DRC merchant of German Switzerland, with ca. 60 participants, mostly long term DRC clients is a very unique and generous event. Waiting lists to attend are long, so every time you manage to get an invite it is a happy day. The 2013 wines were quite tannic, showing the vintage profile but still great to taste and compare as the house style strives for elegance and not concentration. Strength were the energy, acidic tension combined with great expression of terroir aromatics. No problem with thinness or dilution. I think these will be great wines once mature. Still, the 2013 definitely need a a good 10 years in the cellar
The prices of DRC are of course a class of its own, but the aromatic complexity and structural elegance of the wines is always stunning. If you like elegant, fragrant Burgs, DRC is the benchmark. Yields of the tricky 2013 vintage were greatly reduced ranging in a low 14-25 hl/ha in the DRC range.
Tasting notes
Whites
2013 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet 96 Points
0.7 ha / 2’309 btls. in 2013, 25hl/ha. Light yellow. Discrete and complex nose of cistrus, flowers, minerals, and a whiff of nuts, oak well in the background. I am much more a Riesling than Chardonnay guy but I have to admit that the aromatic complexity in this wine is outstanding. Everything is elegant and discrete. Very nice acidity, creamy mouthfeel. A ballerina of a Chard. Very good, forget about the price…
Reds
2013 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Corton Domaine Prince Florent de Merode 95 Points
2.3 ha / 5’686 btls. in 2013, 19hl/ha. Medium-light garnet. Like in all seven DRC Grand Cru reds today the still quite closed nose started with a light touch of bee wax overlaying the red fruit. I don’t know why, may be it is just the stage they are in. On the palate though the tell tale DRC aromas with the signature notes of grape stalks, earth, subtle spices and a very light animalic touch come through. The tannins are very present in this vintage, especially in the Corton but they remain pleasant on the palate. The mid mouth volume is excellent too. I found the Corton a revelation and the best wine among the “smaller” DRC Crus. Wait till 2023. 95+
2013 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Echezeaux 94 Points
4.7 ha / 8’878 btls. in 2013, 14hl/ha. Medium-light garnet. Like in all seven DRC Grand Cru reds today the still quite closed nose started with a light touch of bee wax overlaying the red fruit. I don’t know why, may be it is just the stage they are in. On the palate though the tell tale DRC aromas with the signature notes of grape stalks, earth, subtle spices and a very light animalic touch come through. The Echezeaux displays much more red than black fruit and has the lightest mouth feel. The tannins are very present here like in all Crus in this vintage calling for patience till 2023.
2013 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands-Echezeaux 95 Points
3.5 ha / 9’586 btls. in 2013, 21hl/ha. Medium-light garnet. Like in all seven DRC Grand Cru reds today the still quite closed nose started with a light touch of bee wax overlaying the red fruit. I don’t know why, may be it is just the stage they are in. On the palate though the tell tale DRC aromas with the signature notes of grape stalks, earth, subtle spices and a very light animalic touch come through. Like in the Echezeaux there is predominantly red fruit in the nose but with additional licorice notes. The tannins are very present also here like in all Crus in this vintage calling for 10 year’s of patience in the cellar. I found the difference between the Echezeaux and Grand Echezeaux quite small.
2013 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant 96 Points
5.3 ha / 10’459 btls. in 2013, 15hl/ha. Medium-light garnet. Like in all seven DRC Grand Cru reds today the still quite closed nose started with a light touch of bee wax overlaying the red fruit. I don’t know why, may be it is just the stage they are in. On the palate though the tell tale DRC aromas with the signature notes of grape stalks, earth, subtle spices and a very light animalic touch come through. Here we had for the first time also a good portion of dark fruits in the aromatic blend intermixed with a whiff of bakery. Also the mouth felt softer. Still it is 2013 and I advise for a few more years in the cellar.
2013 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg 97 Points
0.7 ha / 6’809 btls. in 2013, 15hl/ha. Medium-light garnet. Like in all seven DRC Grand Cru reds today the still quite closed nose started with a light touch of bee wax overlaying the red fruit. I don’t know why, may be it is just the stage they are in. On the palate though the tell tale DRC aromas with the signature notes of grape stalks, earth, subtle spices and a very light animalic touch come through. Some dark fruit here as well. On the palate this is much more structured than the RSV. For me a step up on the overall quality. The tannins are very present here (like in all 2013 DRC), similar to the Corton. Wait till 2023 for sure.
2013 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 98 Points
1.8 ha monopole / 12’677 btls. in 2013, 16hl/ha. Medium-light garnet. Like in all seven DRC Grand Cru reds today the still quite closed nose started with a light touch of bee wax overlaying the red fruit. I don’t know why, may be it is just the stage they are in. On the palate though the tell tale DRC aromas with the signature notes of grape stalks, earth, subtle spices and a very light animalic touch come through. This has the power of the Richebourg but with finer tannins. Aromas are also a step up in complexity from the previous wines showing the great La Tache terroir. A the tannins are very present in this vintage for all DRCs I would wait till 2023 before opening it.
2013 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti 99 Points
0.7 ha monopole / 3’903 btls. in 2013, 16 hl/ha. Medium-light garnet. Like in all seven DRC Grand Cru reds today the still quite closed nose started with a light touch of bee wax overlaying the red fruit. I don’t know why, may be it is just the stage they are in. On the palate though the tell tale DRC aromas with the signature notes of grape stalks, earth, subtle spices and a very light animalic touch come through. Same complexity like the la Tache with an additional touch of pine needles. The mouth feel is even softer and more elegant than in the La Tache and makes this the winner of the night. Forget about the price…
Author: Christian Raubach WSET III, FWS, WSG Champagne Master
25. October 2017