Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 30/04/2012

The 2009 Richebourg is a dramatic wine. In 2009 there is so much fruit that the tannins are barely perceptible. With time in the glass dark notes of tar, smoke, licorice and violets develop, adding tons of complexity to the fruit. This is a huge, vertical wine that captures the essence of Richebourg in its towering fruit and structure. Layers of fruit saturate every corner of the palate as the wine builds to a deeply satisfying crescendo of head-spinning aromas and flavors. Anticipated maturity: 2024-2059.

Domaine de la Romanee-Conti’s 2009s have turned out just as brilliantly as I had hoped. The wines reflect the signature qualities of the year, but never lose their essential classicism. Long-time DRC fans know the domaine bottles in six-barrel lots, which naturally introduces a level of bottle variation that is not found in most other wines. I hope the massive amount of information that has recently come to light regarding counterfeit wines and their proliferation might be the catalyst for the domaine to consider bottling their wines in one homogenous lot, as is common for the vast majority of high-quality wines throughout the world. Once the domaine’s wines mature in 20-30 years it will be impossible to tell the difference between ‘normal’ bottle variation, poorly stored bottles and very good fakes. Certainly consumers who are willing and able to pay the prices these wines fetch are at the very least deserving of a consistent product.

Importer: Wilson-Daniels, St. Helena, CA; tel. (707) 963-9661

Don't miss! A heavily spiced and notably ripe nose features fresh notes of plum, mocha and cassis that are sprinkled with exotic spice notes that continue onto the expansive and tautly muscular broad-shouldered flavors that are, most surprisingly, almost as fine as those of the RSV yet even slightly more complex with the same finely grained tannins. The length is similar but at present, the extra dimension of depth gives this the barest of edges. Either way, this is genuinely sensational. Drink: 2024+
- Allen Meadows, Burghound.com Issue 41. Tasted: Jan 01, 2011