2005 La Tache
By Domaine de la Romanee-Conti
2005 La Tâche from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Burgundy, France
The shimmering jewel in the portfolio of the venerated Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, the 2005 La Tâche, encapsulates the very zenith of Burgundian finesse. As a custodian of celebrated vintages, it is my privilege to recount the narrative of this extraordinary wine, a true chalice for fine wine investors and connoisseurs alike.
The Quintessence of Terroir and Time
The 2005 vintage in Burgundy is widely heralded for its classical structure and ageing potential, a product of an ideal equilibrium in climatic conditions. For the revered parcel of La Tâche, this growing season bestowed a concentration of aromas and flavours that resonate with eloquence in each bottle.
In the glass, one perceives a tapestry woven with threads of ripe cherries and entwined with sensuous notes of violets and freshly-turned earth – a testament to the wine's noble upbringing. As it unfolds on the palate, layers reveal themselves with the precision and depth emblematic of a grand cru at the zenith of its powers. Supple tannins provide an architecture for future fortitude, whilst married indeed to an acidity that ensures this truly is a vintage poised for long-term maturation.
An Investment in Liquid History
For those with an eye towards vinous investments, the 2005 La Tâche from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti presents not just liquid luxury but a bastion of potential growth. A finite commodity, it has cemented its reputation not merely as a monumental drink but as an asset worthy of any discerning portfolio.
Perhaps the most arresting feature of this particular vintage lies in its juxtaposition of immense complexity with a rare accessibility in its relative youth. It is a grand cru that invites you to contemplate both its imminent allure and its promise of unraveling further splendours with time. The alchemy between the heralded terroir and the 2005 climatic idyll has engendered a creation that stands as one of Burgundy's modern masterpieces.
A Vintage to Invest, A Vintage to Savour
In summary, the 2005 La Tâche from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti is imbued with an aura that transcends the ordinary vineyard chronicles. For investors and aficionados who seek out expressions that define their era, this vintage is indubitably enshrined as one such defining œuvre – a treasure nuzzled within Burgundy's venerable landscape, awaiting the caress of both time and discernment.
Market price (GBP)
£53,550.00
12x75cl
Highest score
98
POP score
2975
Scores and tasting notes
The 2005 La Tache epitomizes the unique mysteries of Pinot (not to mention the character of a great site), with its aromas of game, musk, iris, star anise, vanilla, allspice, and naturally also an abundance of sweet, ripe, implosively tiny-berried fruit. Imagine a black Riesling. On the palate, a vivid freshness of fruit, pungency of spice and flowers, and melting away of what in point of analytical fact are abundant tannins, all engender an almost white wine dynamic of fruit-mineral call-and-response and clear, incisive penetration of flavors to every recess of the mouth. This is a T.R. sort of wine – you just don’t feel the stick. Once the grapes in these fabled vineyards had reached a potential alcohol of 13%, reports Aubert de Villaine, he was ready to pick, because conditions had seldom been so conducive to perfect ripeness (including that of the stems). It was all done in a week, commencing with La Tache and Romanee Conti, and finishing on September 23 with Romanee-St.-Vivant (and Montrachet, on which I shall report at a future date). De Villaine intended to bottle in March or April by gravity in six-barrel lots, as has become general practice here over the past decade. Importer: Wilson-Daniels, St. Helena, CA; tel. (707) 963-9661.
David Schildknecht - The Wine Advocate, 29 April 2007