Grands Echézeaux, Domaine de la Romanée Conti 2018

Here too there is a touch of oak toast surrounding the notably ripe but markedly restrained aromas of black cherry liqueur, violet, lavender, exotic tea and sandalwood. The rich, full-bodied and muscular flavors also brim with sappy dry extract that possess a seductive mouthfeel before culminating in a hugely long finish. Like the Echézeaux, this is a big, bold and robust effort that should develop gradually over the next 25 to 30 years. This contrast of power and refinement is potentially one of the greatest Grands Echézeaux the Domaine has produced in the 21st C though the 2019 will be a worthy rival.

The 2018 Grands Échézeaux Grand Cru is a rich, muscular wine, unfurling in the glass with aromas of cherries, sweet berries, red fruit compote and plums mingled with subtle hints of exotic spices and peonies. Full-bodied, fleshy and broad-shouldered, with an ample core of fruit, powdery tannins, ripe acids and a long, heady finish. Out of the gates, the 2018 is something of a fruit bomb, but with time it should metabolize that puppy fat to become something special.