Domaine de la Romanée Conti Grands Échézeaux Grand Cru

2015

Burghound 95: This is notably more floral as well as more restrained and what is interesting is that even though the violet-inflected fruit profile is just as ripe, it runs toward the red side of the spectrum while displaying a similar variety of spice components that includes a hint of sandalwood. This too is impressively constituted but despite the power and concentration the broad-shouldered flavors retain plenty of underlying tension as well as lovely precision before culminating in a massively long, balanced and harmonious if youthfully austere finale where the only nit is a hint of warmth. By the usual standards of this wine I would not describe the 2015 version as massive though at the same time it is beautifully proportioned.

Wine Advocate 94+: The 2015 Grands Échézeaux Grand Cru is more brooding and reserved than the Échézeaux, opening in the glass with notes of raspberry, plum preserve, currant leaf, blood orange, hints of the forest floor to come and, again, a rich framing of new oak. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with notable structural amplitude and a long, authoritative and firmly tannic finish. This is always a wine that takes a long time to show all its cards, and the 2015 is no exception, but the raw materials indicate that patience will bear dividends. Cropped at 30 hectoliters per hectare and harvested September 11 and 12.

Vinous 95: The 2015 Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru was cropped at 30.42hl/ha on 11 and 12 September. It has a glorious bouquet that springs from the glass: Morello cherries, crushed strawberry, crushed stone, just a hint of bay leaf all beautifully defined and with a little more horsepower than the Echézeaux. The palate is medium-bodied with a gentle grip on the entry and comes across more saline in the mouth than its “little brother”. There is a pinch of spice that becomes more prominent with aeration and then against my expectations, it becomes understated and quite linear on the finish.

Decanter 97: A gorgeous, scented nose combines flowers and wild raspberries. The palate is sweet and succulent, with boysenberries, strawberries and yet more voluptuous raspberry. and some deft oak and spice in the background. It's very vivacious and expressive, with some heft, flesh and density. Perhaps thanks to the old vine fruit - averaging 55 years old here - it feels a little coiled at present, and the grainy tannins will need time to unfurl, but there is balancing lightness, acidity and finesse alongside the evident power and concentration. Long, mineral finish. Harvested 11th & 12th September at 30.42hl/ha. Bottled 23rd, 24th & 27th March 2017. 1,056 cases produced.