Domaine de la Romanée Conti, La Tache Grand Cru 2005

robert_parker99

Reviewed by: David Schildknecht

The 2005 La Tache epitomizes the unique mysteries of Pinot (not to mention the character of a great site), with its aromas of game, musk, iris, star anise, vanilla, allspice, and naturally also an abundance of sweet, ripe, implosively tiny-berried fruit. Imagine a black Riesling. On the palate, a vivid freshness of fruit, pungency of spice and flowers, and melting away of what in point of analytical fact are abundant tannins, all engender an almost white wine dynamic of fruit-mineral call-and-response and clear, incisive penetration of flavors to every recess of the mouth. This is a T.R. sort of wine – you just don’t feel the stick. 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_parker97

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

A limpid ruby colour. The nose is intense and broody at first but explodes after 25 minutes in the glass with layers of succulent red-berried fruit with dark cherry, a touch of wild strawberry, Doris plum leading towards apricots and mandarin and finally a stong orange sorbet aroma that is utterly captivating . Medium-bodied, filigree tannins, a sense of controlled power and focus. Sensuous, almost plush on the finish. This bottle is far more expressive than last night's broody behemoth. As mercurial and brilliant as ever. Tasted February 2008.

vinous100

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 2005 La Tâche is simply magnificent. There is not too much I can add. Deep, powerful and richly textured, the 2005 simply has it all. Time in the glass releases the aromatics, but it is the wine’s pure sensuality I find most enticing. A host of dark red and blue stone fruits, hard candy and wild flowers take center stage. Even with all of its intensity, the 2005 retains striking freshness and purity. Can it get better than this?

vinous96

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer

Deep ruby-red. Superripe aromas of cherry, currant, tobacco and smoky, nutty oak, with traces of vanilla and sweet butter; showing less of the early treble notes of flowers and spices than usual for La Tache but they are lurking in the background. Then wonderfully supple, silky and sweet, conveying an impression of brooding extract; quite large-scaled for young La Tache but not yet differentiated. This showed an increasingly tactile quality with aeration but remained rather monolithic. Finishes with wonderfully broad, ripe tannins. This, too, appears to be shutting down but all the elements are in place to make a monumental bottle.

vinous98

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer

Bright, saturated ruby-red. Very pure, nuanced aromas of black cherry, raspberry, Oriental spices, earth and smoky oak; a sexy essence of pinot noir. Fat, dense and young, with superb intensity of fruit and mineral flavors. This mounts inexorably on the back, finishing with wonderfully sweet, broad tannins and great thrust and aromatic persistence. One of the longest wines of the vintage.