Ledomduvin: Mise en place - Opened wines - Part 1

Mise en place - Opened wines - Part 1

Following my previous post on "mise en place," here are some of the bottles we opened last weekend. This is part 1, and part 2 will be in a second post.

Champagne Krug "Clos du Mesnil" Blanc de Blancs Brut 2006

Rich, layered, complex, refined, fine bubbles, zesty, with fresh, delicate aromas of apple, pear, and stone fruits mingling with lightly toasted brioche, mineral, and floral notes. Stunning!

Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru Burgundy 2019

This is a fantastic wine, with a delicate complexion and incredible minerality conveying a sense of purity. Displaying gorgeous Japanese pear and white stone fruit aromas and flavors, the palate is soft, gentle, rich, waxy, focused, incredibly balanced, and expands nicely from the attack to the long-lasting finish, with that glycerine sensation that makes you salivate and want more. Some remained in the bottle, and I tasted it two days later; it was still delightful. I loved it!

DRC (Domaine de la Romanee Conti) Richebourg Grand Cru Burgundy 1993

One of the guests brought this bottle. It was okay, not great. As I often say, even DRC or Petrus makes lesser wines in lesser vintages. When the wine is bad, the wine is bad, no matter the name on the label.

This was a perfect example. It was not surprising either, as 1993 in Burgundy is a controversial vintage (opinions are divided), but nonetheless relatively poor due to rain during the growing and harvest seasons, resulting in high acidity, tight tannins, and a lack of fruit in many wines. The wine was relatively thin and tight, shy about aromas and flavors, and lacking substance and depth. The guest suggested decanting it, yet even after 1 hour, despite somewhat of a timid opening, it was not necessarily better. Disappointing, in my opinion, and definitely not worth the demanded price.

Chateau Latour Premier Grand Cru Classe Pauillac Bordeaux 2005

This was another stunning wine. It even showed better than the previous bottle I opened the week before. Racy, sophisticated, rich, and layered, yet in an elegant way. Not the powerhouse I thought it would be for such a solar vintage: this wine is all about finesse and refinement. Loved It!

Cheers!

Dom

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #krug #champagne @pierreyvescolinmorey #pierreyvescolinmorey @_domainedelaromaneeconti #drc #domainedelaromaneeconti #burgundy #chateaulatour #latour #bordeaux #tasting #tastingnotes #sommelier #sommelierlife #sommlife #ilovemyjob #wineyearly

Unless stated otherwise, all rights reserved ©LeDomduVin 2024, on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, collages, visuals, maps, memes, posts, texts, writings, quotes, notes, tasting notes, descriptions, wine descriptions, definitions, recipes, graphs, tables, and even music and video (when and where applicable).

LeDomduVin: DRC Line Up

DRC Line Up

Some time ago, I had the pleasure to prepare and serve a great lineup of DRC wines. 

I cannot tell you when and where, but, that night, the lineup consisted of 

DRC Bâtard-Montrachet 2008

DRC Romanée Conti 1996

DRC La Tâche 1999, 1996, 1990, 1989, 1985, 1978 and 1966

+

Dom Perignon P2 2000

G. Roumier Echezeaux 2017

These were most of the corks at the end of the night. Cannot tell you when and where, but these were genuine DRC bottles, ex-chateau as we say, not the Chinese versions... 

😁👍🍷

Those who live in Hong Kong and China will understand what I mean as they know that they are more DRC bottles in China and Hong Kong alone than what has ever been produced at the estate. 

When I was working in France, then the UK, and the US respectively, it was tremendously difficult to get a few bottles of DRC, as the production was scarcely distributed through allocations. 

However, since I arrived in Hong Kong, back in 2011, I have had no difficulty to find some DRC (not for me, of course, I  cannot even afford a glass of it...). 

In fact, in Hong Kong, they are available nearly everywhere (retailers, restaurants, distributors, open markets, etc...) it's scary! 😁👍🍷

Cheers! Santé! 

Dom

#ledomduvin @ledomduvin #lesphotosadom #wine #vin #vino #wein #drc @_domainedelaromaneeconti @domainedelaromaneeconti @drc #burgundy #sommelier #sommelierlife #sommlife #ilovemyjob 

Unless stated otherwise, all right reserved ©LeDomduVin 2022 on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, visuals, maps, memes, posts, texts, writings, quotes, notes, tasting notes, descriptions, wine descriptions, definitions, recipes, graphs, tables, and even music and video (when and where applicable).

LeDomduVin: DRC La Tâche 2012

DRC La Tâche 2012

Domaine de la Romanée Conti La Tache Grand Cru Burgundy France

Estimated Average Market Price: HKD 57,150 / Euros 6,910 / USD 7,280

Attractive, bright, pale ruby color, with pinkish, reflects. Very incentive, fresh and aromatic nose offering juicy red cherries mingling with floral, mineral, and earthy notes, as well as white pepper and spices nuances. The palate is light, crisp, fresh, gentle, and delicate, almost fragile, yet, juicy, subtly complex and layered, beautifully balanced, harmonious,  structured, and extremely long-lasting. This 2012 DRC La Tâche is as delicate, gracious, elegant, and focus as a ballerina. Loooooooove it. 

La Tâche 2012 is still very young, but it is already drinking very well. Magnificent already at the opening, it was even better after 1 hour of opening in the bottle. Very nice acidity and a  structure that will allow it to age for a few more decades.

However, this 2012 is not necessarily the most complex, rich or the most opulent vintage of La Tâche I have tasted. This vintage is rather light and delicate, thus, it will be interesting to observe its evolution, over the next 5-10 years, to really know how it will further evolve and if it will resist time after 15-20 years. 

That said, throughout my 30 years career in the wine industry, I have tasted many old vintages DRC La Tâche and Romanée Conti, that were not the best nor the ones with the most potential, and still, for each of them, to my surprise, the wine still showed really well after a few decades, and, thus, proved its capacity of endurance and resilience to time.  

It has been proven that some wines, if kept in the most ideal conditions (constant temperature, appropriate humidity level, no exposure to direct lights, not stored with odorous items, no vibrations,  etc...), and not moved for years, can slowly age forever. DRC wines are amongst these wines. 

In the picture above and below, the color looks brownish, as if the wine was old, but in reality, this wine has a beautiful and very attractive pale ruby color with pink reflections. Unfortunately, I was not able to capture the true color, due to the yellow light of the room and the background light from the sky, and the filter used for the picture. Too bad I cannot show you the correct color of this wine.  

It had been a little while since I opened and tasted a DRC wine (never for my personal consumption, I don't have the wallet to afford it 🙃), prior to serving it to its owner. And, I was really pleased and excited to be able to do it recently. 

In my 30 years career as a Sommelier, working in restaurants, retailers and for big tycoons of the corporate world, I had (and still have) the chance and privilege to negotiate, buy, sell, manage, open, taste and serve, and occasionally drink, (when invited to), many bottles of all the DRC wines, some very old vintages too. 

And, I must admit that I have always approached these wines with the utmost respect and interest and a lot of admiration. Always humbled when opening a DRC. 

I'm glad to be lucky enough to continue to open and taste such legendary wines, only accessible to a minority of people fortunate enough to be able to buy them, for me to serve them. Thank you for that.

A little video was also made, while I was opening the bottle. So, I took the opportunity to explain a little about what I was doing, like if I was doing training for staff or students. Here is the link

LeDomduVin: DRC La Tâche 2012 (video)

Or watch it directly here, if you prefer:  

A special thank you to Karen for the video. 

Santé! Cheers! Take good care of yourself and your loved ones, and remember to drink responsibly. 

Dom (a.k.a. LeDomduVin)

#ledomduvin @ledomduvin #lesphotosadom #drc #DRC #domainedelaromaneeconti @domainedelaromaneeconti #latache #grandcru #monopole #burgundy #wine #vin #vino #wein #tastingnotes #wineknowledge #sommelier #sommelierlife #sommlife #ilovemyjob

Unless stated otherwise, all right reserved ©LeDomduVin 2022 on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, visuals, maps, memes, posts, texts, writings, quotes, notes, tasting notes, descriptions, wine descriptions, definitions, recipes, graphs, tables, and even music and video (when and where applicable).

DRC Echezeaux Grand Cru 2014
by @LeDomduVin 2021

DRC life's cycle... 

...in the hands of LeDomduVin

DRC Echezeaux Grand Cru 2014
by @LeDomduVin 2021

As a wine professional, Certified Sommelier and wine buyer, market analyst, and also, and more importantly as a Wine Quality Control Director, I spent a good part of my career focusing on recognizing and fighting against fake wines and counterfeited wine bottles, with thorough inspections prior buying, awareness via some posts on my blog and even some videos on YouTube on the subject.

DRC life's cycle... ...in the hands of LeDomduVin
by @LeDomduVin 2021

More especially, when it comes to some of the most sought-after wines in the world, like Domaine de la Romanée Conti (DRC), or the like of Henri Jayer, or more recently Rayas, and many others like Petrus, Lafite Rothschild, Cheval Blanc, Latour, Mouton Rothschild, even Le Pin, Lafleur (Pomerol), Jaboulet La Chapelle, and even Dujac, Chave, Roumier, etc, etc... as well as some Barolos and Super Tuscan too, which are probably some of the most counterfeited wines in the world.  

DRC life's cycle... ...in the hands of LeDomduVin
by @LeDomduVin 2021

To prevent expensive empty bottles to be found and sold in the grey market, I have adapted "a necessary routine" into my daily job, which consists to:

 

DRC life's cycle... ...in the hands of LeDomduVin
by @LeDomduVin 2021

- Always deface or disfigure the label of all the expensive bottles (and others potentially interesting to counterfeiters) that I open, (with a pen or even a cutter).

- Break the corks

- Break and discard the bottles

DRC life's cycle... ...in the hands of LeDomduVin
by @LeDomduVin 2021

DRC empty bottles can reach very expensive prices (refer to this screenshot from and courtesy of eBay, below, for example), more especially the old and rare ones, and I cannot and won't let that happen under my watch. 

DRC life's cycle... ...in the hands of LeDomduVin
by @LeDomduVin 2021

Provenance is the key, and I always check the provenance (usually directly from the producer, ex-Domaine, or ex-chateau, or from a reliable and honest Négociant or supplier with direct allocations) and inspect thoroughly the conditions and history of each bottle, prior to buying these old and rare ladies. 

DRC Echezeaux Grand Cru 2014
by @LeDomduVin 2021

This bottle of DRC Echezeaux Grand Cru 2014 is pristine, coming directly from the estate, via OPTIM (a branch of FICOFI), an irreproachable provider when it comes to DRC and Petrus. 

As you see from the pictures above, I had to apply "my routine" to this bottle too. This is the life cycle of a bottle of DRC in the hands of LeDomduVin. 😉😁👍🍷

Cheers! Santé! 

Dom

LeDomduVin (aka Dominique Noel)

#lesphotosadom #ledomduvin @ledomduvin #wine #vin #vino #wein #sommelier #sommelierlife #drc #lifecycleofabottleofdrc @_domainedelaromaneeconti

All right reserved ©LeDomduVin 2021 on all the contents above including, but limited to, posts, texts, writings, quotes, tasting notes, wine descriptions, pictures, photos, drawings, illustrations, visuals, graph, and even music (when and where applicable).

LeDomduVin: 1990 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache Grand Cru Monopole, Cote de Nuits, France

1990 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache Grand Cru Monopole, Cote de Nuits, France

It has been over a year since my last post on my blog, and I have been missing writing. As I no longer have time to mess around and write super long, detailed posts, I will plunge directly into this blog's main subject of interest: wine!

I will start by digging into some old notes I always wanted to post but never really had the time to. Therefore, you may see various posts with wines I tasted at different periods, not necessarily in alphabetical or even chronological order. I wish I could have a website as organized and clean as eparker.com with listings and so on, but for now, I will just deliver these notes in a terrible mess and chaos, just as they come.

1990 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache Grand Cru Monopole, Cote de Nuits, France (price range from 3,200-4,200 Euros a bottle)

Beautiful robe in the glass with a light, youthful, bright garnet color of medium intensity. Mushroom, earth, and soil mingled with delicious red and dark cherry fruit aromas enhanced with floral notes. The palate showed good balance and overall structure but seemed a little tired in fruit and texture, tasting slightly older than it should and a bit faded. The finish also presented some sharpness that was slightly out of place. Tasted on 20.10.2012

Cheers! Santé!

Dom 

LeDomduVin, aka Dominique Noël 

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #wine #vin #vino #wein #drc #domainedelaromaneeconti #romaneeconti #latache #burgundy #pinotnoir #grandcru #tasting #tastingnotes

Unless stated otherwise, all rights reserved ©LeDomduVin 2014, on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, collages, visuals, maps, memes, posts, texts, writings, quotes, notes, tasting notes, descriptions, wine descriptions, definitions, recipes, graphs, tables, and even music and video (when and where applicable).