My last visit to Burgundy's Domaine de la Romanée-Conti to taste from barrel was in 2020, when the 2018 vintage of this iconic domaine known for its exceptional lineups of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay was finishing its elévage in barrel and almost ready for bottling.
So it was with great anticipation that I arrived at the gates of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti on a brilliant winter day at the end of January to preview the 2022 vintage with co-directors Perrine Fenal and Bertrand de Villaine.
For scores, tasting notes and prices for the 2021 lineup from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, read Bruce Sanderson's 2021 DRC report
The 2022s were in the process of being bottled: We did not taste the Corton for that reason, and the Grands Echézeaux, Romanée-Conti, Corton-Charlemagne and Montrachet were already in bottle. The remaining appellations were still in barrel. All wines were tasted non-blind.
“The interesting thing in 2022 is the relation between [the large] crop and quality,” explained de Villaine. “It’s another climate where we can have something special.” The team at DRC compares the character of the ’22s to 1999 or 2015, but especially 1959, “an unforgettable vintage.”
Despite the ripeness, the wines are fresh, elegant and full of finesse. Aromas and flavors of red fruit and flowers are pure, with the exception of La Tâche, which is always darker, with meat and spice elements. All the cuvées were fermented with whole clusters and aged in 100 percent new oak.
2022 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Barrel Scores and Tasting Notes
The 2022 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Echézeaux, primarily from the Poulaillères lieu-dit, with a soupçon of Clos St.-Denis, reveals pure aromas and flavors of cherry, with a hint of rose and a silky texture. All about the fruit, it's fine and long (93–96 points, non-blind).
Already in bottle, the Grands Echézeaux is more profound, featuring rose and sandalwood notes framing the cherry core. There were more layers here, very focused, structured and complex (94–97 points, non-blind).
Romanée-St.-Vivant, a wine that is often reticent and austere from barrel, was very forthcoming and expressive, delivering aromas of peony and cherry. Though fruity and succulent, there is structure underneath and its finish fresh and long (94–97 points, non-blind).
Though similar aromatically to the RSV, Richebourg, with alluring cherry notes, was spicier, with more volume and density than its cousin, if less length today (94–97 points, non-blind). There are no grapes from the Veroilles lieu-dit in this bottling of Richebourg due to replanting.
La Tâche exudes black cherry and licorice aromas and flavors, an altogether darker, meatier profile with greater concentration. Nonetheless, it is also refined, with a lingering aftertaste suggesting sandalwood (95–98 points, non-blind).
On the other hand, the Romanée-Conti is perfumed and ethereal, featuring floral and red fruit flavors, all well-delineated and detailed. It absorbed its new oak well, and even if a bit tight and shy from the bottling, it's layered and long, indicating its future potential (96–99 points, non-blind).
Finishing with two whites, the Corton-Charlemagne reveals a generous frame, offering peach, lime blossom, green plum, apple, a hint of both butterscotch and mineral, ending in a long, chalk-filled finish (93–96 points, non-blind).
The Montrachet exudes opulence and concentration, with grandeur to its apricot, peach and butterscotch flavors. Supple in texture, it displays super length (96–99 points, non-blind).
The major factors affecting the 2022 growing season began in 2021. The extreme frost damage that resulted in the small harvest in 2021 created reserves in the vines allowing for a significant budbreak and abundant flowering in 2022.
Significant precipitation in June, including 3 inches between June 22 and 26, provided adequate water reserves to get through the hot, dry July and first half of August. There was sunburn on some berries and a risk of blockage in the maturity during the summer, however, an additional 0.8 inches of rain mid-August refreshed the vines.
“There was almost some blockage in the vines, but the storms in August helped,” said Fenal. “The vines are in good shape, very resilient, so yes, they were tired at the end of the day, but in the morning fine.”
Not only did the grapes ripen well, they were full of juice. This resulted in a large volume of wine for DRC, the largest ever, according to de Villaine. An added bonus to the heat and drought was the lack of fungal diseases. The grapes were healthy and the only sorting required was to eliminate sunburned berries.
It has been at least a decade, if not a generation, since a harvest of this level of quality and quantity at DRC. The resilience of the vines and ripeness at the end of the season resulted in a winning combination in 2022.
