La Romanée-Conti 2016 est un vin rouge Grand Cru issu d’un vignoble unique de 1,81 hectare situé dans la région de la Côte de Nuits, élaboré à partir de raisins 100 % Pinot Noir par le Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.
Le millésime 2016 a été particulièrement difficile. Après le gel le plus sévère depuis une génération, la grêle et le mildiou ont suivi, et les raisins qui ont survécu ont été récoltés le 25 septembre à un rendement de 24 hL/ha. Seules 440 caisses du millésime 2016 ont été produites. En Bourgogne, les faibles rendements impliquent une sélection rigoureuse des fruits et confèrent au vin une saveur concentrée.
La fermentation en grappes entières, qui consiste à placer la grappe entière, tiges comprises, dans une cuve, est la méthode maison ici, suivie d’un élevage de 18 mois en fûts de chêne français neufs. Cette combinaison confère une structure solide sans compromettre les arômes délicats qui font la renommée du domaine.
La DRC cultive des vignobles notamment à Vosne-Romanée et sur un petit nombre de parcelles de Grand Cru situées dans les communes voisines, dont le monopole de la Romanée-Conti (un vignoble appartenant entièrement à un seul domaine).
Ce vin se dégustera de préférence entre 2026 et 2075.
Robert Parker (100)
The 2016 Romanée-Conti Grand Cru is a worthy successor to the profound 2015, wafting from the glass with aromas of wild berries, violets, peony, dark chocolate, cinnamon and exotic spices. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, ample and satiny, with an ineffable sense of completeness, searing concentration without weight, a vibrant, indeed animating line of acidity, and a long, expansive finish that concludes with a judicious touch of mouthwatering bitterness. Wines like this are the foundation of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's reputation.
Jancis Robinson (19.5)
Lightish ruby. Darker fruited than the Richebourg, but still red fruited. There’s a refined restraint at first then a seductive perfume starting to show at the heart of the aroma. The whole-bunch woodland freshness just lifts the wine and accentuates its soaring fragrance as it opens up. The palate almost surprises in its power and intensity, peppery and gently spiced but also that darker and more rocky/mineral dry texture and finish. So fresh, chewy in the most refined way possible. As it opens, the spice and the dustiness combine and is perfectly in harmony with the fruit and structure. Dark, almost savoury finish. Goes on forever.
Vinous (98)
The 2016 Romanée-Conti Grand Cru was picked on September 25 at 24hL/ha. As usual, I allowed it five or six minutes to open in the glass. It is a very subtle Romanée-Conti, more discreet than the 2016 La Tâche, but then you become entranced by its spellbinding purity and grace. It gradually builds aromatically, augmenting the black fruit with red, and developing scents of wild hedgerow and freshly tilled soil - almost a pastoral element. The palate is medium-bodied with extremely precise and fine tannin and notes of wild strawberry, cranberry and crushed limestone. This feels very harmonious, the texture silkier than the La Tâche, displaying just a touch of bay leaf and black pepper toward the sustained finish, which gains depth and grip with aeration. Exquisite, though I suspect the La Tâche will challenge it for supremacy. 440 cases produced. Tasted at Corney & Barrow’s annual in-bottle tasting in London.
Jasper Morris (100)
The colour has the exceptional depth and intensity that we would expect. This is followed by a quite glorious nose, for which it is very hard to find the words, a noblesse of ripe peonies perhaps. “The Romanée-Conti is more mouth than nose this year” says Aubert de Villaine who requests that you do not spit this wine so as to understand its extraordinary texture. Which it most certainly has, the definition of luxury at the highest level because of the sumptuous texture, but still with endless little pinpoints of fine detail. Not exclusively black fruit here either, but it would be presumptuous to try to put inadequate descriptors alongside this marvellous wine.
