Domaine de la Romanée Conti, Echezeaux Grand Cru 2005

vinous94

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

Next to the super-refined, delicate 2006s, the 2005s come across as deeper and richer in personality. That is quite evident in the 2005 Échézeaux, a wonderfully lifted, precise Burgundy that is just starting to blossom. Today, the 2005 is all about nuance and detail. This is a terrific showing. Once again, in 2005 the Échézeaux is a real overachiever.

vinous94

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

Given the reputation of the vintage and recent tastings, I expect to find a hard, closed wine in the 2005 Échézeaux. Instead, the 2005 is wonderfully open, fleshy and seductive. This dark, somewhat brooding Échézeaux impresses for its supple personality and fabulous balance, both elevated by the quality of the year to a higher than normal level. Savory herb and spiced notes wrap around the highly expressive resonant finish. Although the 2005 will only get better, opening a bottle today is not as crazy as it might seem. This is a great showing.

vinous92

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer

Good deep red. Explosive aromas of redcurrant liqueur, tobacco, tar, minerals and chocolate, plus hints of decadent underbrush. Sweet redcurrant and mocha flavors show a slightly roasted aspect and elevated alcohol but also possess very good vinosity, with complicating soil tones adding nuance. Finishes uncompromisingly dry, with substantial tannins. I'd expect this seriously deep wine to go into a shell in the very near future.

vinous92

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer

Good full, deep red. Very pure aromas of dark berries, minerals, chocolate and spices. Sweet and primary, with lovely clarity to the dark fruit and mineral flavors. This grew rounder with air, finishing with substantial dusty tannins.

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: David Schildknecht

The 2005 Echezeaux delivers ravishingly sweet, high-toned aromas of black raspberry, maraschino, marzipan, marmalade and iodine. It saturates the palate with sweet, ripe fruit and inner-mouth perfume, while introducing layers of fresh meat and shrimp-shell minerality. The texture is amazingly creamy and polished, and the long, refined finish adds an alluring hint of mocha. Superb saturation of ultra-ripe fruit but with freshness; remarkable concentration yet elegance, lift, indeed near weightlessness: this is 2005 at its best. The temptation to drink this in its early years will, I suspect, be irresistible ... let’s hope so anyway. It would be a shame for this beauty to be locked away as a collectible, even if it is capable of long-aging. Once the grapes in these fabled vineyards had reached a potential alcohol of 13%, reports Aubert de Villaine, he was ready to pick, because conditions had seldom been so conducive to perfect ripeness (including that of the stems). It was all done in a week, commencing with La Tache and Romanee Conti, and finishing on September 23 with Romanee-St.-Vivant (and Montrachet, on which I shall report at a future date). De Villaine intended to bottle in March or April by gravity in six-barrel lots, as has become general practice here over the past decade. Importer: Wilson-Daniels, St. Helena, CA; tel. (707) 963-9661.

robert_parker94

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

A pale ruby colour with soft, light crimson rim. This has simply a gorgeous, quite ravishing nose that is nigh irresistible. Bright red cherries fruit, wild strawberries infused with very ripe, almost exotic fruit such as star anis, blood orange and a touch of apricot. Very fine definition. After five minutes in the glass the nose is billowing, gaining intensity with more of the red fruit component taking over from the exotic. Hints of mocha and smoke. Very complex bouquet for an Echezeaux. After fifteen minutes the nose is mellowing out, harmonizing. The palate is medium-bodied, very good acidity, vibrant and vivacious with pretty red-berried fruit, a touch of wild hedgerow and a touch of bilberry. The filigree tannins ensure this is a very approachable, feminine wine with a light but persistent, graceful finish with just a touch of earthiness. A precocious charmer. Tasted February 2008.