Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 2021 En Primeur

DOMAINE DE LA ROMANÉE-CONTI 2021 VINTAGE EN PRIMEUR EXCLUSIVE TO CORNEY & BARROW IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

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INTRODUCTION If character is indeed tempered in the crucible of adversity then the Domaine’s 2021s are about as perfect an example of this as you will find. Born of unimaginably difficult conditions and offering, as a result, the lowest yields in over 50 years, there is, in inverse proportion, a brave and quite startling beauty to these wines that makes them utterly magical. 2021 does not have the solar sensuality of 2018/2019/2020, rather it offers an insinuating delicacy, purity and subtle but persuasive richness, redolent of those more classic vintages of the 70s and 80s or perhaps, of more recent memory, 1991.

The wines dance beautifully.

The winter of 2020/2021 was unremarkable, indeed quite mild, although February made up for this by being very cold which delayed the sap rising in the vines.

Thereafter, beautiful dry weather set in and all the vital ploughing, pruning and tying down of the vines proceeded in a calm and orderly fashion. Budbreak began at the end of March and continued under atypically warm and bright conditions.

This, of course, is when the vine is at its most vulnerable and fragile so that the nights of 6th-8th April with savage winter frosts and temperatures down to -6°C to -8°C inflicted large damage, made worse by a heavy, wet snowfall on the night of the 7th which wetted the nascent buds only for them to be frozen again on the 8th.

The destruction was dreadful (see table), the anguish absolute, with losses in Vosne in the order of 50%, the hill of Corton up to 90% and Montrachet virtually the same. It was almost as if the candles lit in the vineyards to give the sanctuary of fractional warmth offered instead the darkness of a Requiem mass…

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Thereafter the growing season might benevolently be described as capricious. Spring, although warm, was also very wet, allowing diseases – mildew and in particular oidium, and later botrytis, to threaten constantly, with the vineyard team struggling ceaselessly to keep pace with the wildly fluctuating conditions.

Cooler conditions in April/May offered little comfort and it was only in June that warmer spells developed, with a short heatwave from the 15th-19th that boosted the flowering that was completed rapidly in around one week.

July was frankly gloomy, often wet and it was only in the critical month of August, and even then around the second half, that the sun re-emerged along with welcome rises in temperature. September became progressively better although there was some rain, with the Domaine bringing in the harvest in fine conditions between 23rd September and 2nd October as each plot tripped into maturity with excellent potential alcohol levels of between 13.5% and 14%.

Painstaking, ‘haute couture’ selection was required both in the vineyards and, berry by berry, on the sorting tables in the cuverie but it was the yield that was so depressing, from around 15hl/ha in Vosne-Romanée to 4.5hl/ha on the hill of Corton…

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In the cellars, under the watchful eye of Maître de Chai, Alexandre Bernier, 100% whole clusters were used in the vinifications, with slightly shorter cuvaison than normal to promote gentle extraction. The wines were put to barrel in 100% new oak as is customary with malolactic (secondary) fermentation finishing slightly later than in 2020.

Barrel aging was slightly shorter than normal before the wines were transferred to steel to ensure that they were not unduly marked by wood, with bottling slightly earlier than usual between December 2022 and April 2023.

My tasting notes were taken from one cask tasting in January 2023 and one from bottle in November 2023.

They try and convey the spirit and emotion of this most haunting of vintages.

The allocation process (page 8) is there to help you and was, of course, put together with your help and guidance.

Please do speak to your individual salesperson for further assistance or to our sales team on 020 7265 5430.

ADAM BRETT-SMITH February 2024

Perrine Fenal, Aubert de Villaine and Bertrand de Villaine at Corney & Barrow HQ

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Alexandre Bernier (Chef de Cave)

VOSNE-ROMANÉE

Chambolle-Musigny N Dijon

N74

Les Grands Échézeaux

Vougeot

Échézeaux

Flagey-Echézeaux

6

Les Richebourgs

La Romanée

Romanée Saint-Vivant

La RomanéeConti

La Grande Rue

La Tâche

Vosne-Romanée

Nuits-St-Georges

Beaune

Grands Crus du Domaine de la Romanée-Conti

N74

CORTON & CORTON-CHARLEMAGNE

N

En Charlemagne

D115d

Bois de Corton

Le Charlemagne

Les Pougets

7

Le Corton

Les Languettes

ALOXE-CORTON Les Perrières

Le Clos du Roi

Les Renardes

Le Rognet-Corton Les Bressandes

Les Meix Les Fournières

Les Chaillots

Les Valozières Les Caillettes

Les Bruyères

D115d

Les Morais

Les Marèchaudes

Les Lolieres

THE ALLOCATION PROCESS We always aim to make our allocation process utterly transparent and fair. This is necessarily painstaking as each order is dealt with in minute detail – as it should be. We ask for your patience as we do this and, once again, thought it would be useful to set out the Domaine’s and, by extension, Corney & Barrow’s allocation criteria.

• The Domaine’s focus is on the private customer and as a consumer rather than a speculator.

• The Domaine’s wines are bought on the clear understanding that they will be stored and delivered in the UK only. Should you wish to sell the wines in the future, it is expected and understood that you

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please offer Corney & Barrow first refusal as this will ensure the integrity of secondary market distribution.

• Should customers wish to sell their allocation (or part of it) within three years of initial release, it can be fairly assumed that the wines were bought with speculation in mind rather than future drinking. This may very well impact the level of future allocations to those customers.

• Priority will be given to the Domaine’s and Corney & Barrow’s longstanding and best customers.

• We will do our best to accommodate newer customers. To help in this, we have a range of older vintages in stock to help begin a collection.

• May we please have your order by Tuesday 20th February.

• Allocations will be completed by Tuesday 27th February.

• Confirmation of order will be through receipt of invoice and the wines will be delivered or put into your reserve upon payment and once the wines have arrived in the UK. All orders are conditional upon UK storage only. We keep for the Domaine’s benefit a record of bottle numberings to help you in this.

• May we please request that invoices are paid in full by Thursday 28th March. In all fairness, we reserve the right to reallocate your order to other customers on the waiting list if payment is not received by this time.

• Do please speak to our sales team, who will be delighted to help you further.

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AN IMPORTANT NOTICE, DIRECT FROM THE DOMAINE In recent years, the media have regularly reported raids by the police services of several European countries including France, which revealed the existence of international networks of counterfeits concerning, in particular, Romanée-Conti from recent vintages.

Numerous people have been arrested, but there are still operations underway, and these cases will surely see further developments.

These events are certainly regrettable, but they show the will of national and European authorities to oppose firmly, and to put an end to actions which are very damaging to the image of great French wines. Let us be thankful for this. The victims of counterfeiters include professionals, but also collectors of great wines.

This is why we would like to take this opportunity to insist again on an essential point which interests all wine lovers and customers of the Domaine, whether professional or private: it is very important that, unless there is complete certainty about the origin of the bottles which you have been offered, you only ever buy our wines through official channels, that is to say via our distributors and the wine merchants they have selected. These channels provide not only the guarantee of authenticity but also integrity – that is to say, proper storage of the wines.

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TASTING NOTES VOSNE-ROMANÉE 1ER CRU CUVÉE DUVAULT-BLOCHET

ÉCHÉZEAUX

“Almost too good”, I scribbled in the margin and later, rather more ominously, “as if sucking the life out of the others!” and it was only at the end of the tasting that we were told that most of the wine in this rarely offered premier cru was actually… declassified La Tâche…

This wonderful vineyard is on a roll, noted before in the last three vintages but perhaps most typified in the ravaged 2021 where just 13.9 hl/ha was offered. Firm ruby colour. The nose is super refined for Échézeaux with racy, elegant, startlingly fresh, red, red fruit. The palate is subtly dry, with earthy, rooty dark fruit, profound even, more chiselled than rounded, less extrovert than normal until that final burst of slightly wild flavours on the finish which is pure, reassuringly d’Artagnan-like* in style.

Whatever, it is wonderful. Bright ruby colour with a darker, sterner nose of quite extraordinary purity, an insinuating perfume of bursting red and black fruits. The palate is juicy with delectable, plump, sensual flavours, medium weight perhaps, but with an intense, pointed concentration far above its pay grade, and super length.

As I said, almost too good.

Corney & Barrow Score 17.5+ Recommended drinking from 2027 - 2037

This wine will be offered to the On-Trade in due course.

£1,605/Case of 3 bottles, in bond UK £535/Case of 1 bottle, in bond UK

Corney & Barrow Score 17.5+ - 18Recommended drinking from 2026 - 2035

* D’Artagnan, the fourth of the Three Musketeers as it were. I see Richebourg frequently as Porthos.

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CORTON

GRANDS ÉCHÉZEAUX

This, the 13th vintage since the Domaine acquired an extended lease from the Prince de Mérode family of three tiny plots on the hill of Corton, proved as unlucky in volume as it is beautiful in quality. Les Renardes (0.5 hectares), Clos du Roi (0.57 hectares) and Bressandes (1.2 hectares) between them produced a pathetic 5 hectolitres per hectare – against a normal 20-30 hectolitres/hectare – and yet the beauty is startling from a firm ruby colour to a nose of purest red fruit, sweet and tender with an insinuating (that word again) perfume.

The palate is… graceful (a word rarely associated with young Corton), beautifully extracted, quite rich, even sweet, with a delectable mid-weight firmness and lovely length. This is a delight, a “heart on sleeve” Corton that dances beautifully.

Intriguingly, the colour is slightly darker than Échezeaux – normally it is the other way round – and here the nose is more latent, brooding even, with a measured, refined, rather aristocratic perfume of stony red and black fruit, subtly mineral and earthy. The palate, by contrast, which possesses an upfront sweetness – unusual for Grands Échézeaux in youth – is richly and roundly extracted with fresh dark tannins and a burst of equally dark, sweet fruit on the finish – like a firework that settles slowly towards the earth I wrote, rather fancifully. Lovely wine.

Corney & Barrow Score 17.5+ Recommended drinking from 2027 - 2036 £1,305/Case of 3 bottles, in bond UK £435/Case of 1 bottle, in bond UK

Corney & Barrow Score 17.5 - 18 Recommended drinking from 2028 - 2038 £2,400/Case of 3 bottles, in bond UK £800/Case of 1 bottle, in bond UK

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RICHEBOURG Limpid ruby colour. Atypically, the nose in 2021 is quite high-toned in its perfume, vibrant with leafy red fruit and shadows of that characteristic Richebourg sensuality and richness. The palate is more at ease with a chewy density, a more textbook broad-shouldered structure allied to a subtly butterscotched richness. There is a brave, rather defiant, quality to this Richebourg that manages to be half-terrestrial, half-atmospheric and wholly moving. My score may be conservative.

Corney & Barrow Score 17++ Recommended drinking from 2030 - 2039 £3,840/Case of 3 bottles, in bond UK £1,280/Case of 1 bottle, in bond UK

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ROMANÉE-SAINT-VIVANT Even in extreme youth, there is frequently something slightly extra-terrestrial, atmospheric about this, the most feline of the grands crus but in 2021, along with a deep ruby colour is a creamily plump perfume of ripe, red fruits, a sense of contented extraction, not simple just more terrestrial. The palate obediently follows the nose with firm, juicy flavours of charm, delectable freshness, medium concentration and purity and a finish that almost fizzes with intensity and energy.

Corney & Barrow Score 17.5 Recommended drinking from 2029 - 2039 £3,900/Case of 3 bottles, in bond UK £1,300/Case of 1 bottle, in bond UK

LA TÂCHE

CORTON-CHARLEMAGNE

Deep, limpid ruby colour. There is simply no trace of the tumultuous nature of the growing season in this wine which possesses a calm, utterly delectable nose of supple, lithe, perfumed, plummy red fruit, almost casually profound. The palate is perfectly matched to the nose with an effortless grandeur to its layered density of fresh, sweet fruit and concentrated lush flavours.

Perfect balance of structure and fine length. And as if all this majestic sang-froid is not enough, there is a rather magical flare of energy and tension on the finish that takes this wine away from earth and into the atmosphere.

Really rather a beautiful La Tâche.

This, the third vintage of the Domaine’s CortonCharlemagne, is leased from Domaine Bonneau du Martray. These two finest plots (En Charlemagne and Le Charlemagne) suffered terribly from the 6th-8th April frosts, with a yield of an appallingly low 4.8 hectolitres/ hectare.

Corney & Barrow Score 18 Recommended drinking from 2029 - 2040 £4,410/Case of 3 bottles, in bond UK £1,470/Case of 1 bottle, in bond UK

Nevertheless, what remained on the vines has offered a beautiful wine with a nose that is both zesty and creamily lush, with layered fruit of quite startling complexity. The palate, as if by contrast to the growing season, has an almost casual, supple richness which is deceptive because it is swiftly followed by a burst of intense freshness, energy and absolute purity to the finish. “All the goodies in the shop window and then some”, I scribbled in the margin – or, more poetically, a heart-on-sleeve CortonCharlemagne of an almost poignant beauty.

Corney & Barrow Score 17.5 - 18 Recommended drinking from 2026 - 2036 £875/Case of 1 bottle, in bond UK

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ROMANÉE-CONTI

MONTRACHET

As always, slightly paler in colour than La Tâche. The joy of 2021 Romanée-Conti at this very early stage at any rate is the majestically open, utterly lovely nose of old-vine red fruit, sweetly ripe, fresh and youthful and yet possessed of a perfume that is layered, elegant but with the merest touch of leafy freshness to lift the whole. Magical. The palate is absolutely true to the perfume, perfectly extracted with tannins of infinite grace and refinement but also strength to match the absolute precision of the fruit. Extended and insinuating flavour and with what appears to be a characteristic of the Domaine’s 2021s – that flare of freshness and energy that balloons across the palate to the finish. A very beautiful wine.

Four barrels of this mythical wine were made in 2021, at a yield of just 13.5 hl/ha… but here, in total contrast to the Corton-Charlemagne, is all tension. The nose is delectably taut, tightly wound, reductive, with flashes of gold and white fruit of an almost atmospheric quality.

The palate is both seductive – in that rather majestic way that the Domaine is famous for – and supremely elegant, with a threaded, steely, “superleggera” structure that lifts the subliminal weight into a finish that is piercingly sustained and profound. This wine changed in the glass more than any Montrachet I have ever tasted. “Trying to score this wine at this stage is like trying to pin the tail on a donkey”, I wrote in the margin. Utterly beautiful.

Corney & Barrow Score 18 Recommended drinking from 2030 - 2040

Corney & Barrow Score 18 - 18++ Recommended drinking from 2028 - 2043+

£12,750/Case of 3 bottles, in bond UK £4,250/Case of 1 bottle, in bond UK

£2,460/Case of 1 bottle, in bond UK

THE 2021 VINTAGE IN NUMBERS AVERAGE AGE OF VINES (YEARS)

TOTAL PRODUCTION (DOZ)

YIELD (HECTOLITRES PER HECTARE)

HARVEST DATES

BOTTLING DATES

Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Duvault Blochet

n/a

149

n/a

n/a

April 12th, 2023

Corton

55

105

5 hl/ha

September 26th and 27th

March 15th, 2023

Échézeaux

35

636

13.9 hl/ha

September 30th, October 1st and 2nd

March 15th, 2023

Richebourg

60

355

11.8 hl/ha

September 29th and October 1st

January 13th, 2023

Grands Échézeaux

30

742

21.6 hl/ha

September 23rd and 24th

March 17th, 2023

Romanée-St-Vivant

45

755

14.5 hl/ha

September 27th, 28th and 29th

January 12th, 2023

17

La Tâche

50

579

8.6 hl/ha

September 24th, 25th and 27th

April 12th, 2023

Romanée-Conti

60

403

20 hl/ha

September 25th

January 11th, 2023

Corton-Charlemagne

60

165

4.8 hl/ha

September 30th and October 1st

December 8th, 2022

Montrachet

60+

102

13.5 hl/ha

September 28th

December 8th, 2022

Tasting Guide Our tasting notes provide full details but, at your request, we have also introduced a clear and simple marking system. We hope these guidelines assist you in your selection. For the benefit of simplicity, wines are scored out of 20. We will often use a range of scores (e.g. 16.5 to 17) to indicate the potential to achieve a higher mark. When a ‘+’ is shown it adds further to that potential. Wines from lesser vintages will, inevitably, show a lower overall score.

Wines are judged, in a very broad sense, against their peers. Why? Well, you cannot easily compare a Ford with an Aston Martin, other than they are both cars and have wheels. It is not that different with wine. A score is a summary only. The devil is in the detail, so please focus on the tasting notes and, as always, speak to our sales team.

RECOMMENDED DRINKING DATES We are regularly asked for more specific drinking dates for Burgundies, in particular from the great domaines.

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REVISED DRINKING DATES

Vosne–Romanée 1er Cru Cuvée Duvault Blochet

Corton

Échézeaux

Grands Échézeaux

1997

N/A

N/A

Now

Now

1998

N/A

N/A

Now

Now

1999

Now

N/A

Now

Now

2000

N/A

N/A

Now

Now

2001

N/A

N/A

Now

Now

2002

Now

N/A

Now

Now

2003

N/A

N/A

Now

Now

2004

N/A

N/A

See below

See below

2005

N/A

N/A

See below

See below

2006

Now

N/A

Now

Now

2007

N/A

N/A

Now

See below

2008

Now

N/A

See below

See below

2009

Now-2025

2018-2030

See below

See below

2010

N/A

2018-2032

See below

See below

2011

N/A

2018-2028

See below

See below

2012

N/A

2018-2029

See below

See below

2013

N/A

2019-2026

See below

See below

2014

N/A

2020-2029

See below

See below

2015

N/A

2026-2034

See below

See below

2016

N/A

2027-2034

See below

See below

2017

N/A

2028-2036

See below

See below

2018

N/A

2028-2037

See below

See below

2019

N/A

2027-2038

See below

See below

2020

See below

See below

See below

See below

ORIGINAL DRINKING DATES

Vosne–Romanée 1er Cru Cuvée Duvault Blochet

Corton

Échézeaux

Grands Échézeaux

1997

N/A

N/A

From 2002

From 2003

1998

N/A

N/A

From 2004

From 2005

1999

From 2003

N/A

From 2006

From 2008

2000

N/A

N/A

From 2004

From 2006

2001

N/A

N/A

From 2005

From 2006

2002

From 2006

N/A

From 2008

From 2009

2003

N/A

N/A

From 2008

From 2009

2004

N/A

N/A

From 2013

From 2015

2005

N/A

N/A

From 2015

From 2020

2006

2010-2015

N/A

From 2011

From 2012

2007

N/A

N/A

From 2012

From 2015

2008

2015-2020

N/A

From 2016

2018-2025+

2009

2015-2020

2018-2025

2018-2025+

2020-2030

2010

N/A

2018-2025

2019-2025+

2021-2030+

2011

N/A

2018-2024

2018-2024

2020-2028

2012

N/A

2018-2025

2020-2025

2020-2030+

2013

N/A

2019-2026

2019-2025+

2021-2030

2014

N/A

2020-2028

2020-2030

2022-2030+

2015

N/A

2026-2030

2022-2030+

2024-2035

2016

N/A

2027-2032

2028-2035+

2030-2040+

2017

N/A

2028-2038

2029-2035+

2030-2035+

2018

N/A

2028-2035

2024-2035

2026-2038+

2019

N/A

2027-2036

2025-2036

2028-2038

2020

2025-2033

2026-2035

2026-2036

2027-2037

2021

2026-2035

2027-2036

2027-2037

2028-2038

Here therefore, are specific recommendations of drinking dates for every recent vintage. Of course taste is an extremely personal thing but having tasted and analysed these wines extensively over the last few years, we absolutely believe that opening these wines at the dates indicated will ensure maximum enjoyment. For your interest and reference we have included our original recommendations made at the launch of the new vintages below.

Richebourg

Romanée–St–Vivant

La Tâche

Romanée–Conti

Montrachet

Now

Now

Now

Now

Now

Now

Now

Now

2015-2030+

Now

Now

Now

Now

2015-2030+

Now

Now

Now

Now

Now-2027+

Now

Now

Now

Now

Now-2029+

Now

Now

Now

Now

2015-2028+

Now

Now

Now

Now

Now-2025+

Now

See below

See below

See below

See below

Now

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

Now-2026

See below

See below

Now-2028

See below

Now-2027

See below

See below

Now-2029

Now-2028

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

Now-2025+

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

See below

Richebourg

Romanée–St–Vivant

La Tâche

Romanée–Conti

Montrachet

From 2005

From 2005

From 2005

From 2007

From 2004

From 2006

From 2005

From 2008

From 2008

From 2003

From 2010

From 2009

From 2012

From 2015

From 2006

From 2009

From 2007

From 2009

From 2009

From 2007

From 2007

From 2007

From 2008

From 2010

From 2008

From 2009

From 2009

From 2012

From 2015

From 2010

From 2011

From 2010

From 2011

From 2012

From 2009

From 2017

From 2016

From 2018

From 2020

From 2012

From 2020

From 2020

From 2020

From 2025

From 2014

From 2015

From 2013

2016-2022

2017-2025

From 2015

2016-2021

From 2016

2017-2022

2020-2025

From 2012

2016-2021

2017-2022

2018-2026+

2020-2030

From 2018

2022-2030

2020-2028

2025-2035

2025-2035

2015-2025

2023-2030+

2022-2029+

2025-2035

2026-2035+

2016-2025+

2022-2030

2021-2020

2020-2030

2025-2035

2017-2022

2025-2032+

2025-2032+

2026-2035+

2027-2035+

2017-2025+

2022-2032

2020-2030

2023-2030+

2024-2034+

2019-2025

2023-2033+

2021-2031+

2025-2035+

2025-2037+

2019-2029

2025-2035+

2023-2030+

2027-2035+

2030-2040+

2020-2035+

2029-2040+

2028-2035+

2030-2040+

2030-2040+

N/A

2031-2037+

2029-2036+

2031-2040+

2030-2040+

2022-2032

2028-2040+

2027-2040

2030-2040+

2032-2042+

2025-2030

2029-2039

2028-2040

2031-2040

2033-2043+

2026-2032

2027-2038

2027-2036

2028-2040+

2028-2045+

2026-2042+

2030-2039

2029-2039

2029-2040

2030-2040

2028-2043+

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