TN - 1980 DRC Romanee Conti - finally! Romanee Conti in my life

I consider myself a born again Romanee Conti virgin. It was my second time trying DRC Romanee Conti - but I’d like to pretend that my first time never occurred due to it being a terribly heat damaged 2001 from god knows where. To say it was disappointing would be the understatement of the year.

This time, a 1980 DRC Romanee Conti. The original purchaser’s cellar was less than 20 miles away from the restaurant and was stored perfectly since release. I kept my expectations low as to tamper expectations.

Decanted for sediment - decanted back into the bottle 15 minutes or so later then popped again around 1.5 hours later.

Some wines are pretty tough to put into words - I’m usually taking notes on my phone as I’m tasting through wine and I update it as the wine changes through the night, but with this wine the note just kept getting longer and longer as the superlatives grew. The wine is complete to say the least, over three hours it elevated and gained more and more as subtle nuisance layered itself in and built onto the base.

The nose is the very essense of sous bois perfection with baked spice, cedar, the sweetest resolved cherry - all subtle and floating in an ethereal presense that haunts YOUR VERY SOUL. As you smell the wine, the emotion empties out from you.

On the palate - simply, it is the most perfect balance of pure wild strawberry fruit and sweet earth that you get from aged burgundy, it is the dictionary picture of that combo that we seek from aged burgundy. It’s interlaced with supple acidity that carries the flavor profile all through your mouth. There was one point I was asked what I thought about the wine but I couldn’t respond as the wine had so completely saturated my tastebuds that I kept swallowing all the saliva that was being generated by the flavor explosions of fruit, black tea leaves, sweet earth - except it all just felt so “weightless” and seamless.

One of the best reds I’ve ever had. Thanks Gkap!

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Thanks for the TNs. It reminds me of the experience with the 1982 RC tasted some years ago.

*The nose is the very essense of sous bois perfection …all subtle and floating in an ethereal presense that haunts YOUR VERY SOUL. As you smell the wine, the emotion empties out from you.

We kept on going back to smell our wine emptied lasses and then later the emptied bottle.

I agree, the times I’ve had the RC it’s been etherality, weightlessness and finesse. It doesn’t stand out initially in a lineup of la tache and rb but then eventually it does.

Congratulations. I have had a wine from every Burgundy GC appellation except RC, including a number of other DRC wines. Great to pop your cherry with a mature version that tasted fabulous.

I had this about 2000, bought at Wine Exchange for $100. Drank at a French restaurant with a friend over a roasted duck. Great wine. Never imagined it at 40+ years.

What? No fish tacos?

Nice! Super jelly…you acquired the bottle right? If so were you looking for perfect provenance, or specific vintages…or combo of both? Or was it price? Find some bottles you passed on…why?

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I think I paid $75 in the mid-1980’s. An early drinker; I also never imagined it would last 40 years.

Sounds splendid. Thanks for the note Charlie.

I did not acquire it. Gaurav did through a friend of ours - it just worked out that there was a perfectly stored bottle in socal that was purchased on release from supposedly a great vintage of RC. Gaurav generously offered it out and the rest of us brought some btls.

Wow, what a story! Charlie, your enthusiasm is infectious. One day I’ll get to this level… [cheers.gif] [snort.gif] flirtysmile

Love it! Love it! Sounds amazing. I have only had the 1970, and it made me feel the same way! So glad you had this experience!!!

Yup, their best is truly the best. Glad you got to experience it.

sounds amazing… and that bottle looks pristine.