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Domaine de la Romanee-Conti continued to spearhead the wine auction scene in 2014, with Sotheby’s alone selling $8.9m of its wines. Here, Gerard Basset OBE MW MS, Decanter’s Burgundy correspondent, offers his notes and scores on the newly released DRC 2012 vintage, held at the offices of Corney & Barrow in London.

Burgundy 2012 vintage overview:

Romanee-Conti, Echezeaux 2012

18.25/20 (94/100pts)

Extremely approachable already

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. Medium ruby with a purple rim. Superb rose petal nose but also red fruit and hints of cured meat. Beautiful juicy strawberry on the palate, and a lovely supple texture with a wild spices finish.

Romanee-Conti, Grands-Echezeaux

18.25/20 (94/100pts)

Beautiful intensity. Medium ruby with a pink rim. Very elegant black fruit on the nose with some very subtle hints of mocha. Wild berry fruit on the palate with a firm but ripe texture and a sweet spicy finish.

Romanee-Conti, Romanee-St-Vivant

18/20 (93/100pts)

Delicate and elegant. Medium ruby with a violet rim. Lovely ripe cherry nose but with elegant notes of forest floor, too. Sweet fruit and wild spices on the palate, silky with a superb cassis finish.

Romanee-Conti, Richebourg

19/20 (96/100pts)

Superb character. Medium ruby with a purple rim. Superbly perfumed with a lovely combination of sweet blackberry, rose petal and cinnamon. Delicious summer pudding on the palate with a velvety texture and a lovely chocolate fudge finish.

Romanee-Conti, La Tache

19.5/20 (98/100pts)

An amazing wine continually changing in the glass and showing amazing complexity already. Medium full ruby with a pink rim. Wild berry, Asian spices and forest floor on the nose. Wild strawberry and raspberry on the palate with a truly succulent texture and a long cinnamon ice cream finish.

Romanee-Conti, La Romanee-Conti

19.25/20 (97/100pts)

Highly elegant. Medium ruby with a purple rim. Beautiful raspberry and cherry and some delicate rose petal aromas on the nose. Lovely cherry and cinnamon on the palate, with a gorgeous silky texture and a long white truffle finish.

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Written by Gerard Basset

Gerard Basset
Gerard Basset
Decanter Magazine, Wine Writer, Sommelier, Decanter Man of the Year 2013, DWWA Co-chair & DAWA Vice-chair

Gerard Basset OBE, MW, MS was a world-renowned wine professional. He was the first person to hold a Master of Wine, Master Sommelier and MBA Wine Business qualification simultaneously. In 2010 he won the World Sommelier Championship and he was awarded an OBE in 2011 for his services to the UK hospitality industry. He was named Decanter’s Man of the Year in 2013. He was a founding partner of the Hotel du Vin Group, through which Gerard trained many young sommeliers. He was regularly listed as one of the top 100 most influential people and, among many other accolades, he was presented with the Catey Wine & Spirit Ambassador Award in 2014. In 2007 he opened his own wine hotel in Hampshire, TerraVina, with his wife Nina. He was Director of the Court of Master Sommeliers Europe and Honorary President of the WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust). A regular Decanter taster and contributor, he was the Burgundy correspondent in 2014 and served as vice-chair of the Decanter Asia Wine Awards, as well as a co-chair for Decanter World Wine Awards.