Description
DRC Romanée-Conti 1978 from Arden Fine Wines in London.
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti owns Romanée-Conti, a Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, France, with Pinot noir as the primary grape variety.
The commune of Vosne-Romanée hosts it and it operates as a monopole (single owner vineyard).
Romanée-Conti borders La Romanée in the west; Richebourg in the north; Romanée-Saint-Vivant in the east; and La Grande Rue in the south.
Roald Dahl mentions Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti in his 1979 novel My Uncle Oswald:
“Smell it! Inhale the bouquet! Taste it! Drink it! But never try to describe it! It is impossible to put such a flavour into words! To drink a Romanée-Conti is like having an orgasm in the mouth and the nose both at the same time.”
DRC Romanée-Conti 1978
Generally, experts agree that the 1970s were far from the finest decade in DRC’s history.
However, they bounced back in 1978 with a range of exceptional wines.
In fact, the 1978 vintage stood out as the finest vintage of the decade.
Moreover, when the late Michael Broadbent, Master of Wine, tasted Romanée-Conti 1978 in 1983, he singled it out for one of his rare “Six Star” ratings, the usual maximum being five.
Interestingly, DRC does not destem, and this held true in a ripe year like 1978.
As a result, in 1978 they bottled the wine directly from the barrel, a practice that they halted in 1985.
Ultimately, only 6,535 bottles of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti 1978 were produced.
“The condition and drinkability of burgundy is less affected by ullage than its equivalent from Bordeaux.
For example, a 5- to 7-cm ullage in a 50-year old burgundy can be considered normal, indeed good for its age… even 7cm is rarely a risk.”
– Michael Broadbent MW, Vintage Wine
