Domaine de la Roman+¬e Conti Roman+¬e-Conti 2001
Eight being my lucky number, I decided to pop the cork of a DRC from the 2001 vintage which was lying in the collection. The colour was typical of a young DRC ?+¦-+???+¦-ú?-¦?+¦-ú?+¦+¦ flush purple-black, but held against a light the blackness like the onset of a tropical dawn to reveal a ruby-like clarity.
The nose was its usual ostentatious richness, thrusting forth a whiff of nectar, rose-petals and wild honey. (DRC only starts collecting the fruity vapours of mushed berries after a decade, or so.)
It was a pleasant drop on the palate and despite being heralded as the first of the great modern Burgundy vintages, there was still a lot of classical structure here. A bloody, irony leanness on the mid-palate. The alluring red fruit charm supported by a wilder, indefinable earthiness leaning towards the porcini notes the wine will gather as it ages.
The seduction is on a sensory level, however. Having been exposed to the heat of one’s mouth, perfume-like vapours descend upon a variety of senses that can leave one quite breathless ?+¦-+???+¦-ú?-¦?+¦-ú?+¦+¦ think of the DRC 1988, for example.
This all-encompassing near perfect wine experience was not here yet. The 2001 made for wonderful, sophisticated drinking with a grilled quail. But in 10 more years, one will have to drink it standing up to prevent the seduction from becoming a little too decadent.
, Darian Morgan
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