Domaine de la Romanée Conti, Echezeaux Grand Cru 2006

vinous91

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 2006 Échézeaux is weightless, precise and finely cut, but it is also a touch fragile and missing some depth through the middle.

vinous93

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 2006 Échézeaux is quite open and expressive today, with striking, precise aromatics, gorgeous sweetness and silky, caressing tannins. I am surprised by how open and pliant the 2006 is, but that is not at all a critique. The 2006 Échézeaux is a great introduction to the wines of the domaine and a fabulous way to start this tasting.

vinous92

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer

Good full red. Pretty, nuanced aromas of red fruits, flowers and tobacco. Wonderfully tactile and juicy, with terrific acid cut giving grip to the sappy red berry and saline flavors. Finishes with sweet tannins and lovely lingering perfume. This struck me as exuberant and expansive for a grand cru from this year-and that's hardly a complaint. A big success for this cuvee

vinous92

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer

Good medium red. Tangy red fruit aromas of cherry, redcurrant and raspberry, complicated by spices and rose petal. Juicy and sweet, with lively spice character and bright acidity. Perhaps a bit lean toward the back but this is longer than the premier cru and shows an intriguing touch of minerality. Tannins are dusty but not dry. Today I like this sample nearly as much as the finished '05 Echezeaux.

robert_parker92

Reviewed by: David Schildknecht

Domaine De La Romanee-Conti's 2006 Echezeaux is significantly more perfumed and brighter than the corresponding Duvault-Blochet cuvee. Cherry, red raspberry, and grenadine in the nose are alluringly entwined with bittersweet, iris-like floral perfume and tinged with flattering, oak-enhanced nutmeg and vanilla. This displays the levity and textural refinement one comes to cherish in so many of the better wines of its vintage, and the persistent sense of florality perfectly suits the lift and vivacity of an invigoratingly lingering finish. At the same time, there is marrow-like meaty richness to add depth. The equilibrium here seems to me typically of 2006, too, but de Villaine also credits the equilibrium that the vines here – now averaging 45 years of age – have attained. There is more than enough tannin in place to match the wine's energy and to insure at least 10-12 years of delight, but this is much more immediately charming than the corresponding 2005. The Domaine de La Romanee-Conti harvested from the 20th-25th of September (commencing with Richebourg) and subjected the crop to rigorous sorting. Understandably, the viticultural meticulousness at this estate as well as its team of some 60 highly-skilled and –motivated pickers paid dividends in the context of a challenging vintage. Director Aubert de Villaine and cellarmaster Bernard Noblet vinified their 2006s with a lesser share of stems and whole clusters, and exposed them to new wood for a shorter period (thereafter racking into older barrels) than the corresponding 2005s. Importer: Wilson-Daniels, St. Helena, CA; tel. (707) 963-9661

robert_parker94

Reviewed by: William Kelley

Drunk in Burgundy from a French source, this bottle of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's 2006 Échézeaux Grand Cru was showing extremely well, opening in the glass with aromas of raspberries, cherries, spices and rose petals, framed by a deft patina of high-quality new oak. Full-bodied, voluptuous and layered, it's rich and muscular, with lively acids and plenty of powdery tannin. To my taste, this is still a decade away from maturity, though it is immensely pleasurable to drink now.

robert_parker94

Reviewed by: David Schildknecht

Drunk in Burgundy from a French source, this bottle of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's 2006 Échézeaux Grand Cru was showing extremely well, opening in the glass with aromas of raspberries, cherries, spices and rose petals, framed by a deft patina of high-quality new oak. Full-bodied, voluptuous and layered, it's rich and muscular, with lively acids and plenty of powdery tannin. To my taste, this is still a decade away from maturity, though it is immensely pleasurable to drink now.