1961 Romanee Conti

The 1961 Romanée-Conti Grand Cru affirms my affection for this wine, having first encountered it a couple of years ago. It was picked on October 7 at a slightly lower yield, 25hl/ha. Where do you begin? There is some degrading on the rim but the core is clear and commensurate with its age. The bouquet has a haunting quality, gradually opening with red fruit and rose petals, less of the blood orange than the previous bottles (which was ex-domaine) and with scents of fireside hearth and roasted chestnut. The palate is exquisitely balanced with immense presence, yet feels so lithe and nimble thanks to its perfectly pitched acidity. It fans out on the finish, still a little rustic but utterly beguiling. If you think I am gushing because of the label, please note that this was served blind as an additional wine at Trinity in London.

Well, such wines are difficult to encapsulate in words. In my experience, mature bottles from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti are rarely if ever, powerful or forceful. Like many wines its age, the 1961 is pale in color, with only slight ageing on the rim. The bouquet unfolds gradually with bewitching red berry fruit, rose petals and hints of blood orange, a purity that is almost impossible to comprehend. The palate is perfectly balanced, and tiptoes on a pin’s head. Little in terms of grip, its weightlessness is paradoxical to its presence – something common in many of the great Burgundies I have tasted. “Transparency,” a word that is often used is certainly applicable here. No, the 1961 is not perfect. It is not pixelated and there is an almost bucolic element towards the finish, while the tannins are just a little bit firm. But undeniably, the 1961 is so beguiling that you wonder what rarefied height the 1962 achieves. I hope to find out one day!

This bottle of 1961 Romanée-Conti Grand Cru came directly from the domaine's cellars. While the 1961 vintage is not as revered as the 1962s from the domaine, the handful that I have tasted have all been outstanding. This was no different. It has a haunting bouquet with breathtaking delineation and purity. It is like inhaling an intoxicating perfume and you had to just pause and reflect upon its almost ineffable complexity. The bouquet...enveloped you. The palate displayed exquisite balance. No, not a powerful Romanée-Conti but the epitome of elegance and refinement without shortchanging you on presence and intensity. There is even a slight rusticity detected on the finish, a little coarseness to the texture, no doubt emblematic of the time, although you perceive that as simply part of its character. It is a truly wondrous wine. Tasted November 2016.