DOMAINE DE LA ROMANEE-CONTI La Tache Grand Cru 'Monopole' 2017 Bottle

Description

The 2017 La Tâche Grand Cru shines brightly, securing 98 points from Decanter and 97 points from Vinous. This captivating wine is noted for its pale, almost transparent hue, presenting a floral and open-knit character. The enticing bouquet includes aromas of roses, fresh leather, and peat smoke, complemented by vibrant acidity and hints of salinity. On the palate, it reveals a medley of red berry fruit with remarkable length. Vinous highlights its darker fruit profile, with blueberry and violet notes that emerge slowly. With a medium body, this wine offers lithe tannins and a loamy finish, displaying significant concentration. Scoring 96+ from The Wine Advocate, it promises a drinking window from 2030 to 2070, showcasing its potential for graceful ageing.

*****

DECANTER 98 points
Tasted by Tim Atkin MW(at Corney & Barrow, London, 29 Jan 2020)
Part of First taste: Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 2017 wines
The La Tâche was the palest of all the DRC 2017s, almost to the point of transparency. This is a floral, open knit expression of the monopoly Grand Cru, which is very far from being a blockbuster this year. Scented and appealing, with notes of avatar of roses, fresh leather and peat smoke on the nose, lots of whole bunch spice and structure, racy acidity, a hint of salinity, succulent red berry fruit and remarkable palate length. A layered, understated red.
Drinking Window 2029 - 2037

VINOUS 97 points
The 2017 La Tâche Grand Cru was picked on September 6 and 7 at 34hl/ha and bottled between March 25 and April 24. As Aubert de Villaine had noted earlier, this is a more introverted La Tâche that bided its time in the glass. The fruit is slightly darker than the Romanée-Saint-Vivant, with the addition of a little blueberry and violet and background scents of moorland, though they needed 10–15 minutes in the glass before they revealed themselves. The medium-bodied palate delivers lithe tannins matched with a very fine line of acidity. This displays more body and grip than the Richebourg or Romanée-Saint-Vivant, and wondrous piquancy on the loamy finish. What it does not possess, unlike the previous two vintages, is a never-ending aftertaste. This La Tâche does its job but prefers not to hang around. Afford this four to five years. 2,082 cases produced. Tasted at Corney & Barrow’s annual in-bottle tasting in London. - Neal Martin

JANCIS ROBINSON 19 points
Drink: 2032 - 2060
Pale ruby. Really quite intense on the nose. Glorious spread of ripe fruit and freshness. Very immediate. Such a peacock’s tail on the finish too! Rich yet far from sweet. Massive concentration. Resonates with violets and forest charm on the finish. Gorgeous. Such appeal! 2,082 cases

THE WINE ADVOCATE 96+ points
Drink Date: 2030 - 2070
Reviewed by: William Kelley, Issue Date: 9th Jan 2020, Source: January 2020 Week 2, The Wine Advocate
The 2017 La Tâche Grand Cru soars from the glass with a captivating and beautifully integrated bouquet of exotic spices, rose petals, raspberries, cherries and blood orange mingled with notions of cinnamon and coniferous forest floor. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, with a deep and tightly coiled core that marks it out as the most muscular wine in the cellar, displaying considerable concentration and largely concealed structure. While this is a dramatic young La Tâche, there's evidently plenty held in reserve, too, and it simply has appreciably more presence than any of the other wines that preceded it in this tasting.