Domaine de la Romanee Conti   La Tache

2007 La Tache

By Domaine de la Romanee-Conti

2007 La Tâche from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Burgundy, France

The revered 2007 vintage from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti presents an intriguing chapter in the storied tapestry of Burgundy's finest offerings. Regarded with a collector's keen eye and an investor’s astute intuition, the 2007 La Tâche stands as a paragon of vinous artistry amidst the volatile dance of continental climates.

 

Finesse in the Face of Challenge

Burgundy, in 2007, witnessed a ballet of climatic fluctuations—spring frost, variegated summer—with vignerons anxiously coaxing their vines to yield fruit that sings of their terroir. This vintage for La Tâche is a testament to virtuosity in viticulture and precision in assemblage. The cooler September days graced the Pinot Noir with an extended maturation period, forging a wine characterised by balance and ethereal aromatics.

 

Refinement and Investment Merits

A masterpiece of subtlety and complexity, the 2007 La Tâche articulates its pedigree through a lattice work of ripe red fruits layered with ephemeral notes of sweet spices and an elusive earthiness—a signature of its revered Vosne-Romanée terroir. On the palate, this wine unfurls smoothly with silken tannins and a refreshing seam of acidity that promises longevity—a pivotal consideration for oenophiles with a view towards longevity in their wine portfolio.

As each year diverges from the last, the 2007 La Tâche distinctly echoes its vintage story: one where finesse prevails over power. For enthusiasts seeking to bolster their investment collections or for those seeking to partake in the liquid history of one of Burgundy's most illustrious labels, this iteration is unerringly compelling.

 

Connoisseur's Conclusion

In essence, the journey through the evolving chapters of La Tâche from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti never ceases to captivate. The allure embedded within the 2007 La Tâche captures both the essence of its celebrated lineage and the nuances that define its specific chronicle—making it an enlightened addition to any discerning investor's repository. Taste matures like wine itself: complexly, magnificently, inexorably—one sip at a time.

Current market price

£54,860.00

12x75cl

Highest score

96

POP score

3428.75

Scores and tasting notes

96

The 2008 La Tache amply illustrates why this monopole is the darling among most of those lucky enough to regularly taste or collect the wines of the Domaine de La Romanee-Conti. Hints of mocha, vanilla, maraschino, and almond paste lend a confectionary note to generously rich cassis and raspberry, while Latakia tobacco, peat, clove, black pepper, star anise, and cumin contribute commune-typical Vosne-Romanee personality in spades. The high-toned, sweet themes continue inner mouth, with intimation of heliotrope, rowan, and lily perfume, while the wine’s smoky, spicy elements seem to descend into a low-register undertone of roasted red meats and forest floor. As this opens to the air, a subtly sweet-saline suggestion of lobster shell reduction adds richness and succulence. Strikingly creamy in feel, this La Tache nevertheless possessed a fresh berry edge that helps convey vibrancy to a finish that practically glows in your mouth, offering another of those Burgundian paradoxes of light and dark. Here, de Villaine’s case for long-term potential is easily made, and I expect this will richly reward at least 15-20 years of attention. Domaine de La Romanee-Conti director Aubert de Villaine perceives both the estate’s 2008 and 2007 collections as vins de garde, and I can’t argue with that assessment, even though when I first tasted the 2007s – soon after they had come out of malo – I harbored reservations, wondering whether to interpret de Villaine’s description of them as “ethereal” to read “ephemeral.” He says holding back the usual 5% share of production for the Domaine’s own cellar was difficult in the greatly reduced 2008 vintage, and that he is already regretting not having arranged to bottle a larger share in magnum. He still had time when I visited in April to reconsider the bottle format for three appellations, which were the only ones I was able to taste, since De Villaine is loathe to show wines in the first 9-12 months after bottling. (I’ll report on the full 2008 collection from bottle at a later date.) If the 2007s here were unusual for that vintage in the degree to which they gained stature in the course of elevage, such behavior was normal when it came to 2008, so that I was not surprised to hear de Villaine remark on a new-found degree of confidence in the stature of that collection. To an even greater degree than in most vintages, success in 2007 and 2008 came down to meticulousness at every stage; to quality of vine material; and to location, in all of which respects no estate in Burgundy has any advantage over the Domaine de La Romanee-Conti. Interestingly, the estate lingered no longer over the picking of their 2008s – from the first of the La Tache on September 27 to the last of the Echezeaux on October 6 – than they had over the 2007s, which were picked from September 1-11. The inclusion of stems was lowered to less than half in 2007, incidentally, but in 2008 was typically closer to three-quarters. Vendange entier is a technique not only time-honored and in continuous use at the Domaine de La Romanee-Conti (even when it fell out of favor at most Burgundy estates in the waning 20th century), but one which de Villaine and cellarmaster Bernard Noblet have subjected to repeated testing, so as to establish in any given vintage the right balance between 100% de-stemmed (“which lacks something by way of complexity,” says de Villaine) and 100% (“which can be too marked by the stems,” he continues). Importer: Wilson-Daniels, St. Helena, CA; tel. (707) 963-9661

David Schildknecht - The Wine Advocate, 28 June 2010

Vintage performance