Corton 2014 Domaine de la Romanee Conti

Corton is the only red Grand Cru from Côte de Beaune, and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's 2014 vintage Corton is exactly that kind of wine. A single bottle of this wine encompasses three climats, Le Clos du Roi, Les Bressandes, and Les Renardes, covering a total area of 2.28 hectares, yielding approximately 7,500 bottles in an average year.

The vineyard is leased rather than owned. The contract with the heirs of Prince de Mérode was signed in November 2008, and the first harvest took place in 2009. Therefore, 2014 marked the sixth harvest from this site. The winemaking process is intentionally kept simple: whole-cluster fermentation with natural yeasts in open wooden vats, followed by aging in new oak barrels and bottling without filtration.

Across Burgundy, 2014 got off to a smooth start. Spring was warm and dry, budbreak occurred quite early, and flowering, which took place in early June, proceeded without any major issues. Then, on the 28th of June, hailstorms struck for the third consecutive year, sweeping through Côte de Beaune and causing the most severe damage in Volnay, Pommard, Meursault, and Beaune. After that, the season returned to calm. Following a relatively cool summer, temperatures dropped significantly starting in mid-August, and while the harvest was moderately early, it did not veer to either extreme.

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