Here too is a very reserved yet ultra classy and refined, indeed even ethereal nose that is quite simply kaleidoscopic in its breadth, combining red, blue and black fruits with spice, earth, minerality and a hint of underbrush that stands aside for the perfectly balanced, pure and stylish medium full flavors that are very firmly but not aggressively structured while delivering flat out unbelievable length yet all the while remaining completely understated in personality. As are all the very best vintages of RC, this is spherical with nothing out of place and this will age effortlessly for decades. The La Tâche is truly spectacular but there is simply another dimension of depth present here. A wine of sheer class and the epitome of the phrase 'power without weight'. Tasted: Jan 01, 2009 Score: 97 Drink: 2026+ Issue 33 Allen Meadows; Burghound

Good medium red. Explosive aromas of red berries, Oriental spices, pepper and truffley underbrush. The wild but utterly silky palate offers extraordinary sweetness and perfume, but with a savory, firm edge giving it shape and grip. Not at all a blockbuster, but impeccably balanced wine. The finish features utterly noble tannins and outstanding rising length. This actually shows less obvious sweetness today than the Romanee-Conti and thus comes across as every bit as tight as that wine. Rated: 96 Points; by Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

The 2008 La Tache amply illustrates why this monopole is the darling among most of those lucky enough to regularly taste or collect the wines of the Domaine de La Romanee-Conti. Hints of mocha, vanilla, maraschino, and almond paste lend a confectionary note to generously rich cassis and raspberry, while Latakia tobacco, peat, clove, black pepper, star anise, and cumin contribute commune-typical Vosne-Romanee personality in spades. The high-toned, sweet themes continue inner mouth, with intimation of heliotrope, rowan, and lily perfume, while the wine’s smoky, spicy elements seem to descend into a low-register undertone of roasted red meats and forest floor. As this opens to the air, a subtly sweet-saline suggestion of lobster shell reduction adds richness and succulence. Strikingly creamy in feel, this La Tache nevertheless possessed a fresh berry edge that helps convey vibrancy to a finish that practically glows in your mouth, offering another of those Burgundian paradoxes of light and dark. Here, de Villaine’s case for long-term potential is easily made, and I expect this will richly reward at least 15-20 years of attention. 96 Points; Wine Advocate # 189, Drink: 2010 - 2030

A reserved yet equally kaleidoscopic nose of red, blue and violet aromas that is wonderfully broad, spicy, fresh, airy and layered leads to intensely floral, mineral infused and focused medium weight plus flavors that possess a strikingly attractive mouth feel and while in the context of the pantheon of great vintages of this storied wine, the '07 will be viewed as one of the lighter examples, the focus and balance here is nigh on perfect as the finish explodes into a hugely long finale, all underpinned by firm tannins and bright acidity. This may seem to be a lighter vintage but it will require at least 15 years of cellar time before this will be sufficiently civilized to drink with real pleasure and probably 25 before it's fully resolved. One other point bears mentioning: it's been a number of vintages since I last saw La Tâche best the Romanée-Conti but 2007 may be one of them. Tasted: Jan 30, 2010 Score: 95 Points; Drink: 2022+ Issue 37 Burghound

A much more restrained, even taciturn nose that is actually quite ripe, spicy, fresh and diaphanous features primarily floral infused red berry, mineral and Asian spice aromas that merge gracefully into supple, round and tautly muscled broad-shouldered flavors that are almost as pure as those of the RSV, all wrapped in a detailed, focused and almost painfully intense finish brimming with minerality and striking length. This is a karate champion of a wine that isn't especially big but the power of the punch is hard to believe. Tasted: Jan 01, 2009 Score: 92-95 Drink: 2022+ Comments: Don't miss! Issue 33 Burghound

Jean-Marc Roulot noted that he was "extremely worried because we suffered the biggest attack of oidium I have ever seen. Véraison normally works wonders with oidium but it literally was too late to help. As a result, we went through the longest harvest ever because it was necessary to sort so meticulously. To give you an idea, it normally takes 9 days to harvest but in 2004, it required fully 14 days versus only 6 in 2003. Sugars were strong though, coming in between 12.5 and 13% and interestingly, despite all the problems, I believe it's the best vintage since 1996. It's incredibly transparent and very terroir and the wines should be real vins de garde (long keeping wines)." I have to agree with Roulot that he has made some seriously good wines here and wines that will absolutely age well.

Tasting note: A wonderfully fresh and interesting nose of straw, pain grillé and melon notes combines with rich, full and punchy flavors that possess good mid-palate fat and lovely finishing intensity. An excellent Bourgogne and recommended. It would be a great house white. Tasted: Jul 01, 2006 Score: 86 Drink: 2007+. Comments: Outstanding! Top value ; Burghound.

Jean-Marc Roulot noted that 2006 was "not an easy vintage. I was basically worried from the beginning of the growing season and while there were good periods, August was really ugly and the ban de vendange (officially mandated harvest date) was declared much too late. The alternating extremes of weather and temperature had made the grapes extremely fragile and you essentially had a very, very short window to get things exactly right. Moreover, by after the 10th of September, the maturities were rising at an astonishing rate, which of course only added pressure to get organized and get picking! Along with Dominique Lafon and Arnaud Ente, I petitioned to begin picking early, which was granted and so we began harvesting on the 14th. Sugar and ripeness levels were strong as was concentration and thus I did almost no lees stirring for fear of creating unduly heavy wines, which I abhor. The '06s are relatively open and accessible and they remind more than a little of the 2000's." Roulot has done a lot of thinking about the premature oxidation issue and while he, like most of his colleagues, certainly has his theories, until proved otherwise he views it as prudent to take what precautions he can. To this end, he has gone to an almost 100% coating of paraffin and has raised his free SO2 target to between 30 and 35 ppm.

A very bright and clean nose that is ripe but well short of exotic leads to crisp and nicely plump middle weight flavors that possess fine energy if not excellent depth, all wrapped in a solidly long finish. There is a touch of sulfur on the finish as well but this should be absorbed quickly. Tasted: Jul 01, 2008 Score: 85 Drink: now+ Issue 31 Allen Meadows; Burghound

The white burgundies of Jean-Marc Roulot are world famous but relatively few people know that he also produces two reds, which even though they are from relatively modest appellations can sometimes be quite good. Burghound

The white burgundies of Jean-Marc Roulot are world famous but relatively few people know that he also produces two reds, which even though they are from relatively modest appellations can sometimes be quite good.

A pretty and very fresh nose of red berry fruit and cranberries leads to supple, detailed and mildly rustic flavors that possess good punch and relatively good finish concentration and length if not great depth. Tasted: Apr 01, 2009 Score: 84 Drink: 2011+ Issue 34 Burghound

There is also a mild touch of reduction but a bit of earth and red berry fruit can be discerned under the funk. The flavors however are fresh, intense, detailed and relatively refined as the tannins avoid any sense of rusticity and the finish is not only energetic but explosive and impressively persistent. Lovely. Tasted: Jan 01, 2009 Score: 89-91 Drink: 2013+ Issue 33 Allen Meadows; Burghound

Christophe Roumier describes the 2007 vintage as "one where I was agreeably surprised by the maturity we achieved. Undoubtedly part of it was because unlike a normal vintage where it's about 100 days, we had approximately 115 days pass between the date of the flowering and the date of the harvest. However, it was necessary to pick very slowly as we had various levels of rot pressure in the vineyards from June all the way to the middle of August and that took its toll in certain sectors. By contrast, sugars were actually quite good at between 12 and 12.5%, which is all the more surprising given how cool and damp much of the summer was. The other side of that coin though is that we had almost no chaptalization. We did plenty of sorting and ultimately threw out quite a bit of under ripe berries, which means that 2007 will be a very small crop for us. I elected to go with a normal vinification and I definitely used more whole bunches than in 2006 where I used very little, indeed almost none. In 2007, the percentage depended on the vineyard but it was up to 50% for the grands crus. There was a lot of malic acid, which has played a central role in shaping the wines. And because there was so much of it, the malos were slow and long and indeed some wines have still not finished 100% of it though at this point not much remains. What was interesting though was to watch how the wines transformed from being a bit on the skinny and edgy side to full, rich and ripe as the malos progressed." And fans of the domaine will be impressed by what Roumier told me next; I was in any event when he observed, "as to the wines themselves, they are pure expressions of the terroir, exquisitely balanced and harmonious. The more I look at these wines, the more I wonder whether they are the best that I have ever made? They remind me a great deal of my 1999s, which is another vintage that I love. We'll see in time as there is no rush to judge them but I believe that the '07s could potentially be wonderful wines." I pointed out that he had made the same observation about his fantastic 2005s and he modestly noted that "sometimes, even winemakers have differing views of what is really the correct definition of the best. To say that the '05s are different from the '07s says everything and nothing. But I can say that I like both vintages a great deal but for very different reasons. The '05s are wines of drama, size, weight, power, concentration and they will live for decades. By contrast the '07s are wines of elegance, finesse, purity, transparency, terroir expression and superb detail. Picking the best is your job but I can tell you that I am very happy with both vintages." While it's very early, I don't see quite the same seeds of greatness in the Roumier '07s that I saw at the same stage in his '05s. However, his '07s are in fact superb wines and may very well be the second best vintage for this storied domaine since 2000. As to the bottled '06s, they are certainly very good but clearly are not in the same league as the brilliant '05s or the exceptional '07s.

As it almost always is, this is not quite as elegant as the Bèze but it's slightly more complex with dense and more deeply pitched yet extremely cool and restrained red and blue fruit aromas nuanced by a broad range of earth, game and underbrush hints, many of which carry over to the pure and relatively refined medium full-bodied flavors that are complex, vibrant and perfectly balanced on the gorgeously long finish. This is brimming with potential and while it too will require plenty of patience, its class and grace are such that it will be approachable in its youth; even so, I would counsel waiting. In a word, magnificent. Tasted: Jan 01, 2011 Score: 96 Drink: 2025+ Issue 41 Allen Meadows; Burghound

Eric Rousseau was away the day of my visit and thus I discussed the 2008 vintage and tasted with his assistant Frédéric Robert. Robert's take on the vintage is that "we had a good flowering but things degraded shortly thereafter and August was just terrible. In fact, by the beginning of September, we were beginning to wonder if we would even have a harvest as the véraison was not even finished! After the 12th of September however, things improved markedly, especially because the north wind concentrated the grapes, dried up the rot and seemed to galvanize the maturation process. Moreover, there was excellent luminosity even if not necessarily a lot of heat. We began picking on the 25th and brought in fruit with an average potential alcohol of about 12.5%. Eric elected to do a normal vinification of around an 18 day cuvaison. The colors and extractions came easily and we were able to treat the musts very gently, which was probably a very good idea in a vintage where the ripeness levels were uneven and thus it would have been easy to extract harsh or bitter tannins.

This departs from its normal expressiveness by being much more restrained and if not backward, then at least relatively reticent on the spicy red berry fruit nose that quietly introduces very concentrated, brooding and superbly powerful with equally well focused flavors underpinned by very firm tannins and plenty of underlying tension as you can really sense the energy here. Compliments by the way to Rousseau to have made such a fine wine from vines so hard hit by hail as quality like this is hard to come by on any basis let alone when Mother Nature is not on your side. Tasted: Jan 01, 2008 Score: 93-95 Drink: 2018+ Comments: Don't miss! Issue 29 Allen Meadows; Burghound

Charles Rousseau's son Eric, who makes the wines, calls 2006 "one of those vintages where the growing season is going along fine and then wham, something goes seriously wrong and the excitement begins. July had been extremely hot, in fact hotter than in 2003 and on the 27th a huge hailstorm hit most of Gevrey but especially Clos de Bèze, Chapelle and Griotte. Worse, I had just finished a green harvest in Clos de Bèze and thus yields there were nothing compared to what we usually realize. It was a mess but we treated immediately, assessed the damage and continued on. August in Gevrey was cloudy and somber but we had less rain here than further south, which helped actually. By contrast, September was essentially perfect and pushed the ripeness to excellent levels throughout. I began picking on the 21st of September and between the hail and severe sorting, losses were between 10 and 20%, which is to say that we had yields from 17 hl/ha to Clos de Bèze to about 35 hl/ha in the Gevrey villages. Sugars were quite good too at between 12.5 and 13%. During the vinification I treated the musts a bit more gently and did a little less punching down than usual but otherwise, everything was pretty much normal though with respect to the Clos de Bèze, it's the first time that I have ever vinified grapes that were so badly hit as these. As to the wines, I love the '06s as they're pleasant, very fresh and have very fine tannins. For me the wines are like the 1992s or the 2000s, which people loved when they actually tasted them." I have to agree with Rousseau that his '06s are indeed extremely fresh, vibrant, balanced and attractive wines built for the medium term and should deliver a great deal of pleasure. As to the Rousseau '05s, they are simply unbelievable, particularly the Cham and Bèze and they should be on your shortest of short lists to find, cellar and enjoy some years hence as they really are brilliant.

An expressive nose of mostly dark berry fruit aromas laced with hints of floral notes, in particular violets, earth and a hint of animale that can also be found on the round, supple and relatively forward flavors that possess slightly better depth and length. Tasted: Jan 01, 2008 Score: 89-91 Drink: 2013+ Issue 29 Allen Meadows; Burghound

Charles Rousseau's son Eric, who makes the wines, calls 2006 "one of those vintages where the growing season is going along fine and then wham, something goes seriously wrong and the excitement begins. July had been extremely hot, in fact hotter than in 2003 and on the 27th a huge hailstorm hit most of Gevrey but especially Clos de Bèze, Chapelle and Griotte. Worse, I had just finished a green harvest in Clos de Bèze and thus yields there were nothing compared to what we usually realize. It was a mess but we treated immediately, assessed the damage and continued on. August in Gevrey was cloudy and somber but we had less rain here than further south, which helped actually. By contrast, September was essentially perfect and pushed the ripeness to excellent levels throughout. I began picking on the 21st of September and between the hail and severe sorting, losses were between 10 and 20%, which is to say that we had yields from 17 hl/ha to Clos de Bèze to about 35 hl/ha in the Gevrey villages. Sugars were quite good too at between 12.5 and 13%. During the vinification I treated the musts a bit more gently and did a little less punching down than usual but otherwise, everything was pretty much normal though with respect to the Clos de Bèze, it's the first time that I have ever vinified grapes that were so badly hit as these. As to the wines, I love the '06s as they're pleasant, very fresh and have very fine tannins. For me the wines are like the 1992s or the 2000s, which people loved when they actually tasted them." I have to agree with Rousseau that his '06s are indeed extremely fresh, vibrant, balanced and attractive wines built for the medium term and should deliver a great deal of pleasure. As to the Rousseau '05s, they are simply unbelievable, particularly the Cham and Bèze and they should be on your shortest of short lists to find, cellar and enjoy some years hence as they really are brilliant.