1995 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche Grand Cru

The 1995 La Tâche Grand Cru is an outstanding wine from a decade when I don't think the Domaine was firing on all cylinders. This echoes the magnum tasted last year with those ebullient red cherries and crushed strawberry scents on the nose. As you might expect from the bottle format, it's a little more open and evolved than the magnum. The palate is beautifully balanced with fine-boned tannins, with a dash of white pepper sprinkled over the millefeuille of red fruit. It's delineated and poised towards the finish, so much so that you almost don't notice its structure. Sublime.

The 1991 La Tâche Grand Cru, from magnum, is drinking beautifully. Vivacious red cherries and crushed strawberries almost reluctantly emerge, perhaps the larger format making sure the aromatics are more backward compared to bottles tasted in the past. Light scents of sea spray and crushed rock. Fine tannins frame the palate; it's a structured and assertive La Tâche with hints of iodine and white pepper toward the finish. Very persistent and displays exquisite delineation, this superb La Tâche needs time in this format. Tasted at the La Paulée in Beaune.