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This highly revered Domaine today belongs, through the interplay of inheritance, to the families de Villaine and Leroy. Co-Directors Aubert de Villaine and Henry-Frédéric Roch manage the estate, and faithfully make every effort to maintain the Domaine in its place as the most prestigious in Burgundy. Considered the pinnacle of Burgundy, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti produces some of the world’s most revered wines from its tiny vineyards in Vosne-Romanée. Two of the Domaine’s seven Grand Cru vineyards - La Romanée-Conti and La Tâche - are monopoles (appellations entirely owned by the Domaine) and two of the greatest vineyards in Burgundy. Richebourg, Romanée-St.-Vivant, Grands-Echézeaux, Echézeaux, and Montrachet (in Chassagne) are also Grand Cru vineyards, yielding sublime wines that are among the most highly-sought, seductive and rarest in the world.
Burghound
While young La Tâche has the reputation of always being highly expressive aromatically, even explosive, there are some vintages where this tendency is more muted and 2006 is one of these. The positively gorgeous if presently reserved nose offers up the hallmark spice and floral components that are broad and deep though requiring some real glasswork to coax out but it's worth the effort as the nose here, restrained or not, is brilliant. The big and generous flavors are an exercise in contrasts as they are at once round and rich while remaining wonderfully defined and precise with more minerality coming to the fore than any of the prior wines displayed, all wrapped in a linear, precise and palate staining finish that not withstanding the initial aromatic reserve, is indeed explosive. This is already harmonious and the transparency and purity of expression are something to see. While I do not argue that the '06 La Tâche rivals vintages like '99 or '05, there is something special about this one that causes me to already be in love with it. In a word, magnificent and now that it is in bottle, my original description needs no modification except perhaps to observe that this is a Zen-like vintage for La Tâche as it is very calm and deliberate in demeanor.
Score: 96.
—Allen Meadows,
International Wine Cellar
Deep red. Lovely high-pitched aromas and flavors of raspberry, minerals, flowers and spices; this could go into a time capsule. Then juicy, pure and almost magically light on its feet, with terrific verve and spicy lift. With air, a note of smoky underbrush emerged, but in comparison to this sappy wine the 2005 is distinctly more sauvage Finishes with sweet but firm tannins and outstanding purity and persistence. 95 points
Score: 95.
—Stephen Tanzer,
March
2009.
Wine Advocate
Domaine de La Romanee-Conti's 2006 La Tache possesses a sense of sheer density and a viscosity â by no means precluding energy â that go beyond the other wines in the Domaine's current collection. Scents of bitter-sweet floral perfume, citrus oils, white pepper, peat, and black fruit distillates pungently, almost aggressively fill the nose. The marrow and beef gelatin aspect of this Pinot is salient, but is allied on a palpably tannic palate with similarly impressive concentrated cooked black fruits, dark mushroom stock, forest floor, smoky Lapsang tea, and licorice. For grip and power, too, this surpasses its stable mates. But a glance back at the Romanee-St.-Vivant suggests that you can't have it all, and that this La Tache cannot approach that wine's finesse or quite equal its mystery. Still, I suspect this will be worth following for at least two decades.
Score: 94.
—David Schildknecht,
December
2009.
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