DRC 2020 in bottle: 10 wines tasted and rated

2020 – everywhere – was a whirlwind of a year. With several years of perspective, however, a different view comes into focus. According to Perrine Fenal, co-director of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, ‘We were working in calm, serenity, and happiness’.

As difficult as the conditions of the lockdown were, vignerons were needed to work outdoors in solitary conditions albeit with marvelous weather and many found the experience invigorating. Her co-director, Bertrand de Villaine, noted ‘It was a very personal time – we all used the time to get closer’.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the DRC 2020 wines

The DRC 2020 wine tasted:

White

Montrachet Grand Cru – 98 points

Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru – 95 points

Red

Romanée-Conti Grand Cru Monopole – 100 points

La Tâche Grand Cru Monopole – 98 points

Richebourg Grand Cru – 97 points

Grands-Échézeaux Grand Cru – 97 points

Romanée-St-Vivant Grand Cru – 96 points

Échezéaux Grand Cru – 96 points

Romanée-St-Vivant Grand Cru – 96 points

Corton Grand Cru – 95 points

Vosne-Romanée (1er Cru Duvault Blochet) – 94 points

Everything was considered to its most fundamental level, from the vines themselves to techniques in the vineyard and winemaking practices. Although nothing changes abruptly at the pre-eminent domaine of the Côte de Nuits, 2020 did occasion deep reflection and refinement of established practices. This was particularly true in Ladoix, where the Domaine has put a facility in place to deal with the added work on the hill of Corton.

2020 weather

The winter was cool, and there was rain in February that assisted the vines in later dry months. The early spring was warm, and the vines developed rapidly. After an early flowering, heat and drought set in. Fortunately, the Domaine was not as seriously affected as other producers might have been. The position of their vineyards, at the perfect location at the base of the slope, helped them avoid the worst effects of the heat and drought in 2020. ‘This is the miracle of the grands crus,’ according to Aubert de Villaine. The slightly thicker topsoil at the base of the slope allowed the grapes to ripen to perfection and assured the domaine of a superb vintage.

July and the first half of August were typified by extreme heat and drought conditions. The vines came close do shutting down due to water stress, but Fenal noted that the cool nights helped preserve the freshness of the vintage.

The harvest was on track to be among the earliest ever in Burgundian history. The Domaine began to pick their youngest vineyards on 18 August (which were in danger from the heat), and continued with the mature vines on the 23rd – coincidentally the same day as the harvest of 2003 was begun.

There were two small showers during harvest that allowed the grapes to finish their ripening to perfection. At reception, the sorting of the grapes was very rigorous. Although there was virtually no pressure from oidium or mildew, there were sunburned and raisined grapes that had to be rigorously removed.

The attention to detail that the pandemic afforded coupled with the warm, sunny, and dry season meant that the ideally located vineyards could deliver a superb result. The wines in the glass are remarkable for the elegance, freshness and balance and demonstrate that both the vines and the winemakers are adapting quite well to the conditions of global warming.

See tasting notes and scores for the DRC 2020 wines

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