Romanee Conti 2012

The wine in this vintage

With yields among the lowest in decades, cut by cold weather, coulure and hail, 2012 produced concentrated, juicy Burgundies of great character. From the tiny 1.8-hectare monopole, the Romanée-Conti 2012 offers intense red and black fruit, notes of violet, sweet spice, forest floor and a touch of incense, carried by deep structure and silky tannins. Robert Parker awarded it 97 points. The wine is still far from maturity: it should be kept in the cellar, where it will continue to gain complexity and harmony. Decanting will help its tightly wound fruit to open up.

The producer · Domaine de la Romanee-Conti

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti is, by universal consent, the ultimate reference point in Burgundy and one of the most revered names in the world of wine. Based in Vosne-Romanée, at the heart of the Côte de Nuits, it takes its name from the vineyard bought by the Prince of Conti in 1760. Since the nineteenth century the estate has been tied to the de Villaine family, joined in the twentieth century by the Leroy and later Roch families; Aubert de Villaine steered it for decades with a vision both rigorous and humble. The Domaine owns the two monopoles of Romanée-Conti and La Tâche, along with major holdings in Richebourg, Romanée-Saint-Vivant, Grands-Échezeaux, Échezeaux and Montrachet, more recently joined by Corton and Corton-Charlemagne. Organic and biodynamic farming, very low yields, harvesting at full ripeness and generous use of whole clusters produce wines of extraordinary transparency, depth and longevity: pure statements of terroir rather than of cellar style.

Critics' scores

• 97 Robert Parker
• 18.5/20 Jancis Robinson

Technical details

Producer

Domaine de la Romanee-Conti

Region

Burgundy

Country

Francia

Type

Rosso

Vintage

2012

When to drink

Not yet at its peak

Critics' average

97/100

Sizes

75 cl, Magnum 150 cl, Case of 6 × 75 cl

eWibe code

0450312