2021 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche Grand Cru

Co-director Perrine Fenal believes this wine stands out because of its sense of serenity and accomplishment, compared with Corton, where you sense the wine has suffered, even though both vineyards suffered from the frost. Harvested 24, 25, 27 September. 50-year-old vines, yield 8.8 hl/ha. Total production 579 cases. Bottled 12 April 2023. M id ruby. Complex fruit aroma of both red and black fruits. Vibrant, open, with a joyful spring in its step. Firm, darker fruited and more savoury on the palate, not as joyous as the aroma but still with a deep energy and harmony. Deliciously dry on the finish with a slight woody note – more stems than oak – increasing the freshness, though there is none of the leafiness of the Richebourg here. Finest, polished tannins that are so discreet I almost forgot to mention them. Extreme purity and transparency. (JH)

The 2021 La Tâche Grand Cru was cropped at just 8.6hL/ha between 24 and 27 September, bottled relatively later on April 12, 2023. This is very harmonious on the nose, with exquisite brambly red fruit, forest floor, subtle estuarine/oyster shell scents, and hints of orange pith. Wonderful mineralité comes through with aeration. The palate is built around a lattice of silky tannins, perfectly entwined acidity, very transparent with life-affirming tension on the finish. There is more length here compared with the Richebourg and definitely more sustain on the aftertaste. Irresistible, though this year, there are only 579 cases.