It has an attractive and quite effervescent bouquet of red cherry, cranberry and light iron filing aromas that are beautifully defined. There is real class and sophistication here.
Reviews:
- Wine Advocate: Surpassing the 2015 rendition, the 2016 Corton Grand Cru is the finest wine that the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti has produced to date from the holdings of Prince Florent de Mérode. Wafting from the glass with notes of cassis, currant leaf, raspberries and menthol, discretely framed by new wood, the wine is medium to full-bodied, velvety and intense, gaining in depth and dimension as it sits in the glass, with tangy underpinning acids and powdery tannins, culminating in a long finish. Aubert de Villaine recounted that the Domaine replanted a third of Corton-Bressandes while also grafting over the Mérodes’ young vines to their own massal selections of Pinot Fin. While this is built for four decade’s evolution in the cellar, the balance and concentration are such that it could be drunk with pleasure in its youth.
- Burghound: Ripe, fresh and restrained aromas of red and dark currant and a variety of spice elements combine with intensely floral, earthy and sauvage-inflected nuances. I very much like the texture of the delicious medium-bodied flavors that possess good power and plenty of minerality that deliver excellent depth and length on the balanced finish that really fans out as it sits on the palate. While there is a mild hint of backend warmth, this could eventually well be the best Corton that the domaine has produced.
Producer Information
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, or DRC as it is commonly known, is easily Burgundy’s best-known and most collectible wine producer. Based in the Burgundy village of Vosne-Romanée, the domaine sells wines from eight different grand cru vineyards that span the length of the Côte d’Or. The most famous comes from the eponymous Romanée-Conti vineyard, and on average is the most expensive wine in the world. The domaine predominately produces Pinot Noir-based wines from 28 hectares (69 acres) of grand cru vineyard. Alongside Romanée-Conti are La Tâche, Romanée-Saint-Vivant and Richebourg in Vosne-Romanée; plus Échezeaux and Grands Échezeaux bottlings. Fruit from Corton-Bressandes, Corton Clos du Roi and Corton Renardes is combined in a single Corton Grand Cru red. There are three white (Chardonnay) wines made. Only one of these, the Montrachet is made widely avilable. A Bâtard-Montrachet and a Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits are not publically distributed. Of course, La Romanée-Conti is the domaine’s most famous asset, and the amount of wine made from less than 2ha (5 acres) of land amounts to just 6000 bottles a year. The vineyard has a long history, dating back to the Abbey of Saint-Vivant in the 13th Century. It took on the Romanée name in 1631, and the Conti in 1760.Today, DRC is owned in part by the de Villaine family and in part by the Leroy family. Aubert de Villaine is the figurehead of the company now – although it was famously run by Lalou Bize-Leroy for a time, until a dispute saw her ousted from control.
