Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet 1978-2015

BY ANTONIO GALLONI | JUNE 20, 2019

This fabulous charity dinner, held to benefit children’s oncology at The Mount Sinai Hospital, featured a breathtaking range of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s Montrachet spanning 22 vintages back to 1978. It was a truly magical night of wine, food and conversation, all for a great cause.

I would be remiss in not acknowledging a number of people who made this evening possible. First and foremost, I am deeply grateful to our winning bidders for their extraordinary generosity in supporting La Festa del Barolo's Charity Auction. My closest friends shared bottles from their cellars as I watched the collection of assembled vintages for this tasting grow, almost by the day. The Major Food Group, with Owners Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi, and Jeff Zalaznick, donated a magnificent dinner at their iconic Grill, which remains one of the most evocative dining rooms in New York City. Lastly, Wine Directors John Slover and Brad Nugent took expert care of our bottles and made sure they were served in optimal condition. Everything was just perfect for a small group of twelve.

Le Montrachet - A Singular Cru

As it turns out, I had a chance to sit down with Aubert de Villaine a few weeks after this dinner. “When it comes to reds, there can be some debate of which cru or crus are the best,” he told me. “But with whites, there is no discussion. Montrachet stands alone.” It will be interesting to see what de Villaine thinks once the domaine’s new Corton-Charlemagne makes its debut with the 2019 vintage, but that is a discussion for another day.

The complete lineup...

I was also curious about what seems to me to be a marked improvement in both quality and consistency in the Montrachet that starts in the 2000s. “I don’t think we are doing anything differently,” de Villaine explained. “To be sure, though, climate change is a very real phenomenon. As you know, we aim to pick as late as possible. One of the real distinguishing characteristics of Montrachet is its ability to retain healthy acidity, even if the grapes are left to hang for a few extra days. When we reach full phenolic maturity now, we are often picking at a potential alcohol of 14-14.5%, something that did not happen in the past. But Montrachet is a very special cru. It is also quite diverse. Take 2016, for example. We are on the Chassagne side. At the top of the hill, there is perhaps a 50cm difference between the Puligny side, which is higher, and the Chassagne side. When frost arrived in April, the Puligny side was largely spared, while we, and our neighbors, were absolutely crushed.” Note: In 2016, DRC did not bottle their Montrachet, but instead contributed their fruit to a single wine that combines the domaine's measly crop with those of Comtes Lafon, Fleurot Larose, Leflaive, Guy Amiot et Fils and Lamy-Pillot.