1966 | Domaine de la Romanée-Conti | Richebourg Grand Cru

Detailed Description

Delicate, gracious and light on its feet, the 1966 Richebourg is wonderfully complete and harmonious. This is very classy juice offering impressive depth and a classic Richebourg drinking experience.

Reviews:

• Vinous: Delicate, gracious and light on its feet, the 1966 Richebourg is wonderfully complete and harmonious. Expansive and layered, yet also quite delicate, the 1966 is absolutely magnificent today. The powerful Richebourg tannins have mostly melted away in this superb, mature Burgundy.

• Burghound: Completely bricked though but not browning. Fantastically complex, warm, generous and remarkably intense aromas that are still floral introduce wonderfully rich, equally intense mouth coating flavors of superb length. This is very classy juice offering impressive depth and a classic Richebourg drinking experience. There is the barest trace of finishing rusticity though the tannins are clearly finer than either the Ech, Grands Ech or RSV. This has always been one of my favorite vintages for DRC’s Richebourg and this bottle was in perfect condition. An outstanding wine that is drinking perfectly. Several examples tasted though with variable results. The bottle reviewed here is the best of any that I have tried but in general, the notes are very consistent.

Producer Information

Domaine de la Roman√©e-Conti, or DRC as it is commonly known, is easily Burgundy’s best-known and most collectible wine producer. Based in the Burgundy village of Vosne-Roman√©e, the domaine sells wines from eight different grand cru vineyards that span the length of the C√¥te d’Or. The most famous comes from the eponymous Roman√©e-Conti vineyard, and on average is the most expensive wine in the world. The domaine predominately produces Pinot Noir-based wines from 28 hectares (69 acres) of grand cru vineyard. Alongside Roman√©e-Conti are La T√¢che, Roman√©e-Saint-Vivant and Richebourg in Vosne-Roman√©e; plus √âchezeaux and Grands √âchezeaux bottlings. Fruit from Corton-Bressandes, Corton Clos du Roi and Corton Renardes is combined in a single Corton Grand Cru red. There are three white (Chardonnay) wines made. Only one of these, the Montrachet is made widely avilable. A B√¢tard-Montrachet and a Bourgogne Hautes C√¥tes de Nuits are not publically distributed. Of course, La Roman√©e-Conti is the domaine’s most famous asset, and the amount of wine made from less than 2ha (5 acres) of land amounts to just 6000 bottles a year. The vineyard has a long history, dating back to the Abbey of Saint-Vivant in the 13th Century. It took on the Roman√©e name in 1631, and the Conti in 1760. In 1869, it was obtained by Jacques-Marie Duvault-Blochet, who left it to his great grandchildren upon his death. It was then that the Soci√©t√©-Civile du Domaine de la Roman√©e-Conti was established to avoid Napoleonic inheritance laws. Today, DRC is owned in part by the de Villaine family and in part by the Leroy family. The decades-long figurehead of the estate, Aubert de Villaine, stepped down from his role in 2022 and nephew Bertrand de Villaine currently oversees the estate. It was famously run by Lalou Bize-Leroy for a time, until a dispute saw her ousted from control. DRC’s eight grand cru wines are a familiar label on the world auction scene, and are notable for the high prices they regularly fetch, particularly the Roman√©e-Conti. Unfortunately, this comes with its own challenges ‚Äì it is also one of the world’s most frequently counterfeited wines.