Although 2021 is distinctly different from other recent vintages, they have a delicious elegance, and if they lack the robust power of 2018, 2019 or 2020, their finesse shows a charm of its own. To understand the vintage, one must judge the wines on their own terms.
The recent launch of the bottled wines from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti began with a recap of the vintage by Bertrand de Villaine; ‘incredible’ in his words.
Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for seven DRC 2021 wines and two library vintages
As he described it, a warm, wet spell in January was followed by dry weather, a cold snap and then spring-like temperatures in late March. This warm spring weather tricked the vines into an early budbreak that was cruelly cut down by hard frost and snow between 6-8 April.
During the worst of the frost, temperatures got down as low as -9°C. Although de Villaine felt that attempts to salvage the harvest were a ‘quest of Don Quixote’, his team struggled mightily. The 37 full-time workers flew into the vineyards to protect what they could with candles and fans, yet the frost destroyed much of the year’s production.
De Villaine explains that the yield was a difficult subject: there were 60% losses in Montrachet, but on the hill of Corton they lost 80% of the Pinot Noir, and an even greater proportion of the Corton-Charlemagne. He says that they were able to protect all of Romanée-Conti with candles (and part of Grands Echézeaux), and here the yields were more generous, but that the overall average for Vosne-Romanée was a miniscule nine hl/ha. They protected the bottom of the La Tâche slope, yet oddly, the upper reaches were more severely affected by frost, although usually cold air will settle to lower elevations.
The domaine’s careful replanting programme further reduced yields: 0.17ha in Corton Bressandes and 0.8ha in Richebourg are not in production. To compound the dismay of the vignerons, the vines were not granted a reprieve after this devastating frost. Temperatures remained low as rains continued, and workers in the vines struggled throughout the season with odium and botrytis.
A Burgundian miracle
The story was continued by de Villaine’s co-director Perrine Fenal, who related that at the eleventh hour, ‘le miracle bourguignon‘ appeared: the clouds cleared, the sun came out and the grapes (finally) ripened. They began to change colour (veraison) in mid-August, but the harvest was delayed due to the weather, and the domaine picked between 22 September and 2 October.
The year’s conditions necessitated rigorous sorting and delivered grapes with thinner skins, yet Domaine de la Romanée-Conti followed its conviction of recent years and vinified the entire harvest as whole clusters. Because the grapes had a high liquid-to-solid ratio, the extraction was done gently, with less punching down than in recent years, but the wines were aged in 100% new barrels, albeit with a shorter maturation, with bottling from mid-December of 2022 through to May 2023.
With losses of anywhere from 60%-90% of their crop, de Villaine and Fenal hesitated to do the traditional tasting of the bottled wines yet found it was essential to inspire the confidence of the chief export markets. One suspects they also wanted to breathe a sigh of relief at the undeniable quality of the results, which they described as ‘wines of purity and transparency, with brightness and the joy felt on the verge of the despair at the frost’.
We tasted the entire range, with the exception of the wines from Corton and Corton-Charlemagne that had endured such terrible losses; we were also unable to taste the Vosne-Romanée premier cru Duvault-Blochet, which this year contained all of the Vosne-Romanée Petits Monts along with the young vines from the grand crus, especially Echézeaux and Romanée-Saint-Vivant.
Fortunately for wine lovers, the dearth of wine in 2021 will not be permanent; although 2021 was the smallest crop in 50 years, 2022 was the largest crop ever produced at Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.
Seven DRC 2021 wines and two library vintages
The wines are listed in vintage order youngest to oldest by score
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Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Richebourg Grand Cru, Burgundy, France, 2021
The colour is as deep as the Romanée-Saint-Vivant, but the Richebourg is an entirely different wine, less forward and more substantial. It seems somewhat reserved, but as it opens, there are impressive layers of flavour, from a ripe black cherry fruit to a sweet floral note and hints of graphite and menthol that are very attractive. Although the Romanée-Saint-Vivant is more forward, the Richebourg has more cellar potential - it's difficult not to bump this up a notch upon review. This wine should start to open properly after ten years in bottle. Picked 29 September – 1 October; 4,262 bottles produced.
2021
Domaine de la Romanée-ContiRichebourg Grand Cru
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, La Tâche Grand Cru Monopole, Burgundy, France, 2021
A recent tasting of the 2021 La Tâche confirms it as among the top wines of the vintage. The colour is a deep, saturated ruby, and hints of violets, spice, and smoke deftly accent the ripe aromas of plum and mulberry fruit. The fruit balances the influence of the cask ageing, giving the wine a seamless integration. The texture is denser than most from this vintage, and the tannins are firm but not astringent - just lush, balanced elegance that places this wine above its peers. Picked 24 – 27 September; 6,947 bottles produced.
2021
Domaine de la Romanée-ContiLa Tâche Grand Cru Monopole
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti Grand Cru Monopole, Burgundy, France, 2021
It is only with time that the uncanny dominance of this vineyard becomes apparent. Initially somewhat restrained, the wine is starting to show a lovely complexity with ripe cherry, plum, and pomegranate fruit aromas and complexity from floral notes and hints of spice, smoke, and earth. The texture is dense and compact, giving the sense that there is great depth and that this wine will age for decades. Along with its stablemate La Tâche, this is among the triumphs of the vintage. While the La Tâche might be more accessible today, the Romanée-Conti has more ultimate potential. Picked 25 September; 4,835 bottles produced.
2021
Domaine de la Romanée-ContiRomanée-Conti Grand Cru Monopole
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée-St-Vivant Grand Cru, Burgundy, France, 2021
The Romanée-Saint-Vivant remains a significant step above the Echézeaux and Grands Echézeaux in this portfolio, with a deeper colour and a richer, riper black plum fruit character. The floral elements noticed in barrel are still pronounced, along with a brambly note from the whole cluster ferment and a bit more liquorice spice than it showed earlier in its evolution. The texture on the palate has smoothed out now; there is more depth and richness and less grippy tannins than noted in the fall after the vintage. Picked 27 – 28 September; 9,064 bottles produced.
2021
Domaine de la Romanée-ContiRomanée-St-Vivant Grand Cru
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Montrachet Grand Cru, Burgundy, France, 2021
Tasted at a recent luncheon in New York to celebrate the release of the vintage, the 2021 Montrachet from DRC was a fairly deep colour, almost golden. The initial attack registered ripe apple, butter, hazelnut, honey, and a bit of smoke and spice from the cask ageing. The texture was dense and rich -surprisingly so. The wine seemed to lack the incisive acidity and vibrant tension that enlivened many wines in this vintage – it looks more 'Montrachet' than '2021', but it will undoubtedly please fans of this wine as it is a classic of the genre. 1,218 bottles produced.
2021
Domaine de la Romanée-ContiMontrachet Grand Cru
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Grands-Echézeaux Grand Cru, Burgundy, France, 2021
On release, the Grands Echézeaux shares the somewhat pale hue of the Echézeaux, yet it is aromatically richer, with more sweet pomegranate fruit on the initial attack. While still noticeable, the cask ageing is well-integrated, and the wine is more substantial and longer than its neighbour on the palate. The domaine protected parts of the vineyard with candles, which helped the yield and delivered a lusher result despite being picked a week earlier. This wine impresses even more now than it had out of barrel. Picked 23 September; 8,899 bottles produced.
2021
Domaine de la Romanée-ContiGrands-Echézeaux Grand Cru
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Echézeaux Grand Cru, Burgundy, France, 2021
The delicate garnet colour of the Echézeaux hints at a wine in the style of previous generations. As it did out of barrel, the influence of the cask ageing is still significant, and there is an element of bramble and menthol from the whole clusters used in fermentation, yet the wine is expressively aromatic. Seemingly round on the initial attack, the wine finished somewhat angular with firm tannins and fresh acidity that will require some time to resolve. Give this wine another ten years to appreciate it to the fullest. Picked 30 September – 2 October; 7,632 bottles produced.
2021
Domaine de la Romanée-ContiEchézeaux Grand Cru
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Montrachet Grand Cru, Burgundy, France, 2014
This exquisite wine is a model of balance and freshness – perhaps the finest example of Montrachet I have had from the Domaine. The light lemon-yellow colour is still in the first blush of youth, and the aromas remain very primary, with notes of citrus, fresh hawthorn flowers, and marzipan dominating the initial attack. There is abundant freshness, yet no lack of power here, and the finish is tantalizingly long. The wine is just starting to show its potential and should continue to open up for decades. Picked 22 September; 3,160 bottles produced.
2014
Domaine de la Romanée-ContiMontrachet Grand Cru
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Montrachet Grand Cru, Burgundy, France, 2009
The super-rich 2009 Montrachet from the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti fulfils every desire of the lover of Montrachet's dense, luxurious style. Tasted recently in New York with Bertrand de Villaine and Perrine Fenal, this showed the summery, sunny richness of the vintage, and one taster commented on a 'marshmallow taste'. The aromas were almost reminiscent of a Tarte Tatin, with baked apple, flaky puff pastry, a touch of caramel, and a rich, buttery note. The texture was decadently long and can seemingly evolve for decades to come. 4,079 bottles produced.
2009
Domaine de la Romanée-ContiMontrachet Grand Cru