Went to a wonderful tasting last night as part of the Tasting Australia program. Tasting Burgundy it should have been called. We had a look at some 2012 Heavy Hitters.
2012 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Clos Vougeot, Grand Cru: Ferrous and black fruit aromas. It is a tannic wine but has good flesh. There are spiced plum and menthol notes, excellent depth and a long, chewy finish. Classic Clos Vougeot that got better and better in the glass.
2012 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brûlées: Immediately expressive with a nose of pomegranate, raspberries, sandalwood and white flowers. It was luscious and creamy in the mouth, with a core of sweet red fruits. It had minerally bones and a fresh finish.
2012 Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair Echezeaux, Grand Cru: Some matchstick reduction at first. It blew off quickly to reveal a delightful wine of red fruit intensity and aniseed spice. It quietly builds through the palate, possessing plenty of floral nuance. The finish is fine and long.
2012 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Echezeaux, Grand Cru: Quite stemsy with some herbal notes. It is complex and detailed, with loads of minerality and fine, red fruit flavours. It is still quite youthful and the finishes is super-spicy.
2012 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant, Grand Cru: Absolutely textbook RSV. Super-fine and lacy, with delicious red berry and cherry fruit flavours. The nose is full of dried flowers and palate voluminous and expansive. It finishes with terrific cut and has superb persistence.
2012 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg, Grand Cru: The first sniff reveals aromas of sandalwood, spiced plum and menthol. It is rich, sappy and deep in the mouth. Still quite compact and strict. There’s flesh held in check by the wine’s ample structure. Balance is superb and it has so much potential. Needs time.
2012 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche, Grand Cru: Ready to play as soon as it was poured. Complex aromatics of Hoisin, dark fruits, smoked meats and rose petal. It is rich, full and powerful without carrying any excess fat. It has such great presence and drive, with spice laden fruits lingering on the palate for a long time after swallowing.
2012 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti, Grand Cru: Flawless. Gorgeous nose of cherry, pomegranate, smoked meats, dried flowers and mineral. It is so fine and so complete. Every sip reveals another subtle nuance and it is weightless with latent power. Tannins simply occupy a space and the acid balance is sheer perfection.
2012 Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair La Romanée, Grand Cru: A spice laden nose showing a hint of aniseed and some sarsaparilla root. It has a deep, penetrating core of black cherry fruit. It is rich, powerful and layered but light on its feet. It has such great presence and energy and is a thing of sheer beauty.
We headed out for a meal after the tasting, where a good friend thought the only way to come down from the high of Romanée-Conti and La Romanée was with a Magnum of 2013 Domaine Ramonet Montrachet, Grand Cru. He is a wise man.
2013 Domaine Ramonet Montrachet, Grand Cru: From Magnum this was so good. Aromas of intense white peach, spearmint cream, vanilla pod and flint. It is rich and layered, incredibly powerful and rich but not heavy in the slightest. The finish drives on and on and oozes minerality.