Corton Rouge, Domaine de la Romanée Conti 2017

The 2017 Corton Grand Cru was cropped at 33hl/ha, picked on September 4 and bottled on January 23, 2019. The heavenly bouquet, probably one of the finest I have encountered from this property since its inception in 2009, features brambly red fruit, discreet touches of hawthorn and succinct use of oak. Curiously, there is something Pommard-like about this Corton – a sense of earthiness, perhaps. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and quite noticeable acidity, and lightly spiced with touches of white pepper toward the finish. It does not “kick on” like the domaine’s top cuvées, but it shows considerable persistence and should drink well within a couple of years. This ranks alongside the 2016, in my opinion. 692 cases produced. Tasted at Corney & Barrow’s annual in-bottle tasting in London.

Picked 4th September. Just bottled, to be released next year. Fine mid youthful purple, offering a clean and pure nose, though nothing like the rumbustious character of the 2016. Lively fruit with a hint of orange zest. Sweetly perfumed, fuller bodied than the 2014, a little more velvet but in the same line. Beautiful fruit and mineral acid balance, and indeed persistence.