1990 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Echézeaux Grand Cru

Transparent ruby. Richly flattering fruit with a hint of coffee. Clean, smudgy, flattering, appealing – lots of ripeness even if not great delineation on the nose. Floral, fragrant. Sweet start, definitely robust rather than subtle. Long and very rich. This wine was the first that forced me to think of what to serve with it and I felt it could stand up to quite an array of foods. I found myself suddenly thinking of veal in a cream sauce. Aubert remarked on this lively wine’s 'gaiety'. It’s certainly extraordinarily frank as well as being sweet, rich and almost smudgy. Perhaps the most flattering of these eight wines. Hint of cough drops. (JR)

The 1990 Echezeaux continues to confirm that the DRC has been successful in turning out a richer, more structured wine in vintages since 1988. The deep color (it may be the darkest Echezeaux I have seen) is followed by a bouquet with well-developed aromas of spices, plums, black-raspberries, and sweet new oak. In the mouth, the wine exhibits admirable toastiness, rich, medium to full body, moderate tannins, low acidity, and an impressive finish. Anticipated maturity: 1995-2010. The DRC 1990s, all of which were bottled in April/May, are among the deepest colored wines from this domaine that I have tasted in the last decade. Moreover, they are firmly structured, with significant tannins from both the vintage and from the aging in 100% new oak barrels. For the fortunate few who have had the discretionary income to afford the other great vintages of the DRC from the eighties, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1988, and 1989, the question is - are the 1990s superior? I am not sure they are any better than the 1980s, 1985, and 1988s, but they undoubtedly represent a classic, concentrated, long-lived style of wine. Moreover, all of these wines should have a more graceful evolution and broader window of drinkability than the tannic 1988s, as well as potentially greater longevity than the succulent and opulent 1985s. All of these offerings are outstanding, with that tell-tale complex, exotic fragrance that the DRC routinely achieves. NOTE: Prices had not been released (the wines will arrive in early 1993). I have inserted the same prices asked for the 1989 vintage as an approximation of what these wines will fetch. Importer: Wilson-Daniels, St. Helena, CA.