1966 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche Grand Cru
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Tasting notes
Two bottles of the 1966 La Tâche Grand Cru are encountered, one in Beaune and the other in London. Both attest a brilliant La Tâche that flirts with perfection. Its appearance is commensurate with its age. The nose is ineffably complex, utterly sublime, the bottle in London a little more ferrous than the one in Burgundy, subtle humidor and undergrowth scents percolating through with time. The palate is perfectly balanced with the same filigree tannins that I noted before. Maybe it has dispensed with some of the luster it showed three or four years ago, yet the silky texture belies that structure extant on the finish. Just fabulous. Tasted at La Paulée in Beaune and then at a private dinner in London.
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
The 1966 La Tâche Grand Cru is a quite sublime wine that must be the finest of the decade alongside the 1962. This is actually cut from the same cloth as the bottle shown at the La Tâche vertical in 2015. Gentle, charming and refined on the nose, it conveys a sense of grandeur befitting the vineyard. Hints of sous-bois , Montecristo cigars, pressed flowers and just a tincture of dried blood. The palate is beautifully balanced with more weight than say, the 1966 Romanée-Saint-Vivant. There is real depth, filigree tannins and a pitch-perfect line of acidity that takes your breath away. Funnily enough, just like last time I observe a light cough candy note popping up on the aftertaste. Regal. Tasted at the Romanée-Conti dinner at the Connaught Hotel.
Tasted at the La Tâche vertical at The Square. The La Tâche 1966 is one of those wines were composing a tasting note seems futile. How can you express such a wine in words? Well, I will try. It must be considered one of the greatest La Tâche of all time. Typically of this vineyard it is a mercurial Pinot Noir that is deceptively simple upon first acquaintance. Then you notice its unbelievable delineation as scents of dark fruit, sous bois, cigar box and an exotic hint of star anise gently unfold. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannins and nigh perfect acidity. There is such brightness and vigor in the 1966, allied with a sense of authority. Over time it gains precocity and there is a daring note of cough candy surfacing unexpectedly on the finish after ten minutes. This is an astonishing La Tâche that flirts with perfection.
About the producer
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti or simply “DRC” is without doubt the most famous domaine in Burgundy and one of the most famous producers on earth. The Grand Cru vineyard from which it takes its name produces the world’s most expensive wine by a long margin.