2011 Romanee-Conti
By Domaine de la Romanee-Conti
2011 Romanée-Conti from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Burgundy, France
In the pantheon of Burgundian wines, few can hold a candle to the hallowed 2011 Romanée-Conti from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. This exquisite vintage stands out – a symphony composed in an unpredictable climatic year. I recall how Burgundy was laced with bated breaths when initial concerns over the growing season's erratic nature surfaced. The cool spring was quickly usurped by a scorching summer, coaxing early flowering that made many a vintner fretful over the potential for uneven fruit maturation.
A Vintage Carved Out of Challenges
The vintage is often sculpted by adversity, and 2011 is no exception. This arduous year for Burgundy ultimately paved the way for an early harvest, safeguarding the delicacy of fruit and aromatic precision within vineyards nurtured meticulously by the storied hands at Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. The virtuosity of winemaking and stalwart vineyard management ameliorated the caprices of nature, granting investors the reward of a vintage that grew increasingly enigmatic yet opulently layered.
Enshrining Elegance in Every Sip
The 2011 Romanée-Conti intricately weaves complexity with elegance—a hallmark of Burgundy's finest crus. On the palate, there's a tension and liveliness drawn from the vintage's cooler notes, punctuated with a vibrancy of red berries and an undertone of earthiness unique to this illustrious terroir. The wine displays remarkable poise, abetting its longevity and offering savants an unrivalled ageing potential.
The tannin structure bears witness to excellent vinification practices—a stratum propitious for investors banking on wines with cellaring sturdiness. Mastery over oak is evident; there is no overshadowing but rather an intricate hand-in-glove fit between wine and wood, suggesting years, if not decades, of evolutionary potential.
An investment in a bottle of 2011 Romanée-Conti is as much a stake in liquid artistry as it is a hedge against the banality of less stirring vintages. In its whispering velvety depth lies the echo of an extraordinary year, captured and conveyed with effervescent grace by Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s Viticultural alchemists.
Market price (GBP)
£239,380.00
12x75cl
Highest score
96
POP score
14961.25
Scores and tasting notes
The 2011 Romanee-Conti was picked on 6 September at 26.83hl/ha. As usual, the Romanee-Conti is reticent at first, as if the wine is checking you out before deciding whether you are worthy. It then unfurls to reveal a precise, exquisitely focused bouquet with crushed strawberry, flint and smoke. The palate is devastatingly smooth on the entry. The tannins are lace-like, the acidity perfectly judged and it gently crescendos in the mouth towards a seductive poised finish that lingers incredibly long. This is a master-class in ‘less being more’: a consummate Romanee-Conti for mid- rather than long-term cellaring. 473 cases produced. Drink 2017-2035+
Neal Martin - The Wine Advocate, 26 February 2014
The 2011 Corton Grand Cru from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti put in a similar showing as it did just after bottling earlier last year. It has less of the mushroom element than I recollect, adorned with pastille-like purity of red cherry and wild strawberry fruit, a slight ferrous note developing with time in the glass. The palate has developed a tad more roundness in the mouth in recent months, the tannins softened a little and it is consequently less masculine and more approachable. That said, as much as I enjoyed polishing off my glass, I would advise allowing this several years in bottle so that it can lose its puppy fat.
Neal Martin - The Wine Advocate, 30 December 2015