2005 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Saint-Vivant Marey Monge Grand Cru

A last minute addition to the lineup, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s 2005 Romanée Saint-Vivant opens with the most extraordinary, alluring bouquet imaginable. Silky, nuanced and super-polished on the palate, with exceptional purity, the 2005 simply soars out of the glass. The classic weightlessness of RSV comes through loud and clear. Bright saline notes give the 2005 a closing kick of freshness. The 2005 is a very pretty wine, although the profoundness of the aromatics doesn’t fully follow through to the palate, where the wine is a bit slender, especially compared to what follows in this flight. I’ve had better bottles of the 2005.

The 2005 Romanée-St. Vivant is both incredibly aromatic and vibrant, but, then again, it is Romanée-St. Vivant. Here, the impression is of pure verticality and towering structure. A bit darker and more brooding than RSV often is, the 2005 is a wine built for cellaring. Perhaps because it is the first wine I tasted from the domaine, I have always had a weak spot for the RSV. The 2005 is magnificent, but it is also a wine for those who can be patient.

The 2005 Romanée St. Vivant is explosive, rich and heady on the palate. Much more reticent and closed than the Échézeaux at this stage, the 2005 shows the dark, powerful side of Romanée St. Vivant as opposed to the more feminine, brighter notes that are typical in most years. Whereas the 2005 Échézeaux can be enjoyed now, the 2005 St. Vivant is built for the cellar. What a gorgeous wine this is. Readers lucky enough to own the 2005 can look forward to decades of exceptional drinking.