Romanée Conti, Domaine de la Romanée Conti 2003

Incredibly youthful color for an almost 20-year-old wine with no bricking or even lightening. Remarkably cool and discreetly mentholated aromas that one would hardly guess are the product of one of the hottest vintages on record. The powerful, dense and exceptionally opulent big-bodied flavors culminate in a borderline chewy, solidly compact and firmly tannic finish that despite the prominent structure, evidences outstanding length. The 2003 produced a robust and muscular RC that is still at least a decade away from its peak and perhaps even longer. I would note that even with four plus hours of air, there was essentially no change save for developing a hint of finishing dryness that may or may not become more prominent with age - I suspect not but it is a question mark going forward. I would note that the '03 RC is indisputably impressive in its sheer scale and density though I confess that it's not my favorite stylistically. Try from 2033+.

Young Romanée-Conti is rarely expressive yet this is as aromatically expressive as the Echézeaux with a gentle touch of wood framing stunningly spicy dark cherry and plum aromas that pull you into the wine with its seductive grace and purity followed by sweet, understated and vibrant medium full flavors that display the best acid/fruit balance of any wine here. This is dense, forceful and long with perhaps more sheer size and muscle than is typical yet the purity of expression and astonishing length is something to behold. But ultimately, just like the La Tâche, what sets this apart from all the others is not its power, not its richness and not its complexity but rather its completeness. There is a serenity here that cannot be duplicated and must be experienced to really be believed. A great wine by any measure and one that will also be capable of aging with poise for decades.