Domaine de la Romanée Conti, Richebourg Grand Cru 2012

robert_parker97

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The Richebourg 2012 was picked September 27-28 at just 19 hectoliters per hectare, one of the lowest yields in this vintage. This has a serious bouquet, reserved at first, more earth than air. Unusual for this cuvee, there is a sense of exoticism here, a Richebourg daring to show a bit of ankle. Blackberry pastille intermingle with wilted violets, and there is a touch of warmth that belies the precocity of the growing season. Leaving it aside for 10 minutes, there are hints of Provençal herbs, broom and even fennel. The palate is medium-bodied and the first thing that strikes you is its backbone. Well, this is Richebourg after all. But there is an arching structure to this wine that is disguised by the silkiness of its texture, plus an almost citrus freshness and brightness on the finish. This is a Richebourg that will make you giddy with pleasure. 634 cases produced.

robert_parker97

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2012 Richebourg Grand Cru, picked on September 27 and 28, seems to offer slightly blacker fruit than the Romanee Saint Vivant at the moment. Coy at first, there is a sudden explosion of wild raspberry, flint and even pencil box. There is wonderful complexity here, but as the minutes pass, it appears more mercurial than the Romanee Saint Vivant. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannins. Harmonious and supple with great clarity, there is a core of cassis and blackcurrant fruit plus a dash white pepper sprinkled over the peacock tail of a finish. There is enormous length in the mouth here, a Richebourg with the dimension of the 2010. Aubert de Villaine was traveling the Far East when I visited the domaine’s relocated offices that lie in the shadow of the church in the main square in Vosne. And so cellar-master Bernard Noblet, distinctive with his hulking frame, escorted me through barrel samples of their 2012. Not everything was available for me to taste. Their Montrachet was damaged by hail and consequently there is less than half the usual crop, and Bernard was adamant that the Corton was not in representative condition. Incidentally, there is no Cuvee Duvault-Blochet in 2012, as one would expect in such a small volume crop. The domaine gave me a summary of this infamous growing season that essentially repeated the remarks of other growers, but expressed in Aubert’s poetic, allegorical fashion, my favorite sentence: “The vigneron’s intervention is quiet and rare, as that of the crew of a sailboat navigating calm weather.” Of course, the domaine, especially vineyard manager Nicolas Jacob, was not spared the choppy waters of the tumultuous season that threatened to capsize many of the region’s finest vignerons. The estate’s biodynamic principles meant that applying the preparations and treatments proved challenging when one day out of every three was rainy. The harvest commenced on September 21 in Corton and finished nine days later in Echezeaux, the secateurs put back into their sheaths when the heavens opened on September 25 and 26. Yields are recorded at 20 hectoliters per hectare, which is approximately 25% less than usual. That said, upon entering the reception area I was confronted with what appeared to be the entire allocation for the United States shrink-wrapped on towering pallets. You have to remember that this is for one of the largest countries in the world. These barrel samples are rather academic. These wines are not available for another year and readers will find bottled reviews, which I have written every February since 1998, more relevant since the wines will be finished and ready for sale. However, I decided to publish these notes so that they can be juxtaposed against their peers and my remarks in 12 months time. One point that I found interesting was the more prudent use of stems, logical when you consider that the lack of sunshine in the early part of the season would mean not all stems would have been fully lignified. Therefore, the pickers had to patiently wait until the berries were fully ripe. You do not need me to tell you that their 2012s are variations upon “spellbinding” and will doubtless cost a pretty penny. Truth is, there are cheaper alternatives out there, many of which I have praised in my recent report. There is only one thing – they are not Domaine de la Romanee-Conti. Importer: Wilson-Daniels, St. Helena, CA; tel. (707) 963-9661 and through Corney & Barrow (UK).

vinous96

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

Vivid and towering in the glass, the 2012 Richebourg hits the palate with serious depth and overall intensity. Pomegranate, dark cherry, chalk, mint and wild flowers are front and center. Bright, primary and unbelievably intense, the 2012 is fascinating to taste today for educational purposes, but it will be many years before the wine is ready to give pleasure.

vinous96

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 2012 Richebourg is fascinating to taste after the Romanée St.-Vivant because in this vintage their personalities appear to be inverted. The RSV is almost unapproachable, while the Richebourg is all about polish. Although naturally quite introverted at this stage, the Richebourg shows off marvelous density. Savory herbs, sweet tobacco and smoke add nuance on the creamy, voluptuous finish. The Richebourg tannins are there, but today they are nearly buried by the wine's incredibly deep fruit.

vinous95

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer

Bright, full red. Wilder and blacker on the nose than the RSV and also a bit reduced, offering scents of cassis, licorice, violet and bitter chocolate. Densely packed, sappy and sweet, offering a distinctly three-dimensional texture to its intense dark berry, spice and truffley underbrush flavors. The slowly mounting, precise, firmly tannic finish is still a bit austere but leaves the palate vibrating with spices and flowers.

vinous98

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer

Bright dark red with ruby highlights. Knockout soil-driven nose offers scents of black raspberry, smoky minerality, violet, truffle and woodsmoke. Every bit as rich and velvety as the RSV but much tighter and more sharply delineated today, offering amazing concentration and inner-mouth lift. The rising, unflagging finish stains every square millimeter of the palate with black and blue fruits, with the tannins perfectly folded into the wine's texture. One of the greatest young Richebourgs I've ever tasted at DRC.

vinous96

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

Vivid and towering in the glass, the 2012 Richebourg hits the palate with serious depth and overall intensity. Pomegranate, dark cherry, chalk, mint and wild flowers are front and center. Bright, primary and unbelievably intense, the 2012 is fascinating to taste today for educational purposes, but it will be many years before the wine is ready to give pleasure.