Domaine de la
Romanée Conti: A Survey of the 2021s

BY ANTONIO GALLONI&nbsp;|&nbsp;MARCH 12, 2024What a difference a year makes. After the decidedly
exuberant 2020s, the 2021s from Domaine de la Romanée Conti show another side
of Burgundy, one marked by a highly challenging growing season that tested the
mettle of growers. In many ways, difficult years make for the most interesting
discussions because individual choices so deeply inform the wines. There was
plenty to talk about as Co-Directors Bertrand de Villaine and Perrine Fenal showed
the 2021s in this tasting organized by long-time US importer Wilson-Daniels.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1710273743859-DRC+Cover_March122024_Final.jpg">Cutting to the Chase: The 2021s in TastingLast year I noted the color intensity and overall richness
in the 2020s. The 2021s are much lighter and more translucent, as Burgundy used
to be. But what most struck me about the 2021s was their balance, especially
with regard to oak and whole clusters. In some recent vintages, the young wines
have at times shown a touch of new oak, perhaps because higher alcohols extract
more wood. That is not at all the case with the 2021s. In a similar vein, whole
clusters are impeccably integrated, especially considering the more mid-weight
style of the vintage. The Grands-Echézeaux and, to a lesser extent, the
Richebourg are exceptions, as they come across as somewhat disjointed at this
stage. I was deeply impressed with the Romanée St. Vivant. It is clearly the
most expressive and complete wine among the reds, at least today. I would be
thrilled to own it. The Montrachet is also superb.Readers should note that the Vosne-Romanée Cuvée Duvault-Blochet 1er Cru, Corton Grand Cru and Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru were bottled but not presented in this tasting, as yields were minuscule. I did have a chance to revisit two older vintages of Montrachet that were shown for perspective. Lastly, I have also included notes for a few additional wines from the domaine that have come my way in recent weeks. The 2021 Growing SeasonMother Nature threw pretty much everything she had at
growers in 2021, starting with a warm winter and a cold, wet spring. The defining event of the year&nbsp;took place between April 6 and 8, when severe frost descended
upon Burgundy. Temperatures reached minus 8/9°C (16-18°F) in the hardest-hit sites. Frost is typically most severe in lower elevations. In 2021, however,
air currents carried the coldest temperatures to mid and upper slopes, damaging spots that are generally
considered safer. This is the same phenomenon that affected other regions in
Europe, including Bordeaux and Piedmont.

“In the end, we protected the wrong areas of the vineyard,"&nbsp;Bertrand de Villaine explained, referring&nbsp;to&nbsp;the domaine's decision to use candles in the&nbsp;lower portions of&nbsp;La Tâche while leaving the upper sections alone.&nbsp;“It was impossible to manage.&nbsp;Usually, the
vines are quite strong, but when they are shocked this early in the season, there is always a connection with what happens later. In 2021, we had oidium
and botrytis to deal with as well.”

“Veraison took place in mid-August, under clear skies and
dry weather,” Perrine Fenal continued. “We began picking on September 23 and
finished on October 2. It’s a vintage that questions our relationship with our
vineyards and nature in general. We feel we have to ponder our possibilities
and limitations, which are numerous, knowing and accepting that our place is
within nature, giving and receiving but not taming it."Harvest Dates 9/23-24 Grands-Echezéaux, La Tâche

9/25 Romanée-Conti,
La Tâche

9/26 Corton

9/27 Corton, La Tâche,
Romanée St. Vivant

9/28 Montrachet, Romanée St. Vivant

9/29 Romanée St. Vivant

9/30
Corton-Charlemagne, Echézeaux

10/1 Richebourg,
Corton-Charlemagne, Echézeaux

10/2 Echézeaux<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1710256854155-DRC_March122024_Glass+Tags.jpg">“Of course, yields are a difficult subject,” Fenal elaborated,
“but we had no choice but to deal with it and turn the page. In the Côte de
Beaune, yields were 13 hL/ha in Montrachet, 5 hL/ha for Corton Rouge and 4.8 hL/ha
for Corton-Charlemagne. In the Côte de Nuits, average yields were 9-14 hL/ha
for the most affected parcels and an average of 20 or so in the protected
areas, which include Romanée-Conti and parts of Grands-Echézeaux."

“Naturally, we had to do a fair amount of sorting in the
winery. We had grapes with thick skins, high solid-to-liquid ratios, and good
phenolic intensity. The malolactic fermentations were long and smooth. The
wines were bottled starting in mid-December 2022 with Romanée-Conti and Corton
through to May 2023.”

It’s impossible to ignore the current state of the market,
which is now correcting after several years of explosive growth. Economic
prosperity as it exists today is relatively new to Burgundy, as it is
throughout the wine world. Up until the early 1990s, the domaine sold wines to
passersby who rang the doorbell. “We had these awful pink boxes. We put three
bottles of Romanée St. Vivant in them, mostly,” Bertrand de Villaine explained.
“This is something we learned from and that we never forget. Circumstances are
different now, but they could go back to what they were.”&nbsp;That strikes me as
unlikely, but this tasting certainly offered plenty to think about. The 2021s will be very interesting wines to follow.© 2024, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.<hr> You Might Also Enjoy<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/nature-rules-nature-s-rules-drc-2021-in-bottle-feb-2024">Nature Rules/Nature’s Rules: DRC 2021 In Bottle</a>, Neal Martin, February 2024 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/domaine-de-la-romanee-conti-2020-the-new-burgundy-mar-2023">Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 2020 &amp; The New Burgundy</a>, Antonio Galloni, March 2023 <div></div><a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/domaine-de-la-romanee-conti-the-2019s-jun-2022">Domaine de la Romanée-Conti: The 2019s</a>, Antonio Galloni, June 2022 <div><div></div></div><div><div><div><a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/2017-domaine-de-la-romanee-conti-a-day-s-work-jul-2020">2017 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti: A Day’s Work</a>, Antonio Galloni, July 2020<div><div></div></div><div><div></div></div></div></div></div>

Content

Engage

Vinous

Social