La Tâche 2017 is a red Grand Cru from Vosne-Romanée in Burgundy's Côte de Nuits. It was produced by Domaine de la Romanée-Conti using Pinot Noir on the estate's largest monopole. After a period of poor yields, 2017 finally brought a bountiful harvest to Burgundy. It may have been the biggest overall crop since 2009, with abundant flowering of Pinot Noir and grapes that grew exceptionally healthy, free from rot.
Achieving these results required a great deal of effort. After the vines went dormant due to the cold snap in February, temperatures dropped again in mid-April, posing a serious risk of frost in the second half of April. Growers burned damp straw piles to send smoke rising over the grapevines, preventing the early morning sun from reaching the frozen new shoots. On May 19, light hail fell in and around the Nuits-Saint-Georges area. Heavy rain fell on the 31st of May and the 3rd of June, just as flowering was beginning, and a fierce heat wave struck during the third week of June. Given the timing of the flowering, the harvest was expected to take place in early September.
Across Burgundy, the bountiful 2017 yields resulted in lighter, more delicate red wines in the glass. In La Tâche, this wine feels as though it was made based on aroma and a silky texture rather than sheer volume.
Robert Parker (96)
The 2017 La Tâche Grand Cru soars from the glass with a captivating and beautifully integrated bouquet of exotic spices, rose petals, raspberries, cherries and blood orange mingled with notions of cinnamon and coniferous forest floor. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, with a deep and tightly coiled core that marks it out as the most muscular wine in the cellar, displaying considerable concentration and largely concealed structure. While this is a dramatic young La Tâche, there's evidently plenty held in reserve, too, and it simply has appreciably more presence than any of the other wines that preceded it in this tasting.
Jancis Robinson (19)
Pale ruby. Really quite intense on the nose. Glorious spread of ripe fruit and freshness. Very immediate. Such a peacock’s tail on the finish too! Rich yet far from sweet. Massive concentration. Resonates with violets and forest charm on the finish. Gorgeous. Such appeal!
Jasper Morris (96)
Just a little more depth of purple in the centre. The nose has an impressive weight without much detail. Some fresh raspberry fruit starts to emerge, the weight is certainly there but the wine is not quite dancing today, not quite the precision that we expect and which will doubtless emerge with longer elevage. Doubtless the more classic rose petal notes will emerge. The finish is firmer than for the preceding wines, but I find that typical of La Tâche. On today’s showing I have scored the wine conservatively.
BOW (9)
