La Tâche, Domaine de la Romanée Conti 2019

The 2019 La Tâche Grand Cru was picked over three days from 16 to 18 of September at 23hL/ha. Like the Romanée-Saint-Vivant, this wine gives you no choice but to sit and contemplate. The bouquet is beautifully-defined, broody and introspective at first, less immediate than the Romanée-Saint-Vivant, then after 10 minutes it becomes highly perfumed with potpourri and rose petals, dark berry fruit, perhaps just a hint of liquorice. The palate is medium-bodied, extraordinarily well-defined and pure. There is a touch more spice compared to recent vintages, a pinch of white pepper lingers on the tongue for a minute after the wine has exited. There is real structure to this La Tâche and my intuition is that this will close for a period during its long arching evolution in bottle. 994 cases produced. Tasted at Corney & Barrow’s annual in bottle tasting in London. 2025-2065