2021 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, DRC, Romanee-Conti Grand Cru, Bottle (750ml)

RP98 The 2021 Romanée-Conti Grand Cru is the most integrated and complex—that's to say, hard to describe—wine in the range. Wafting from the glass with scents of sweet red berries, exotic spices, espresso roast, rose petals and violets, with only subtle hints of the coniferous bass-notes that mark out many of the other cuvées this year, it's full-bodied, pure and seamless, with an exquisitely suave, harmonious palate that effortless integrates vibrant acids, melting tannins and intense retronasal perfume. Concluding with a mouthwateringly saline finish, this is a wine that will delight, even enchant, Burgundy purists.

BH97 Classic ruby. Quite spicy, even peppery, with plenty of floral influence on the pure and cool red berry fruit scents as the whole cluster vinification is evident as is an interesting, and unusual, note of brown sugar. The very stylish middleweight flavors possess a silky mid-palate texture while the beautifully persistent bitter cherry-inflected finish is support by both bright acidity and dense but fine-grained tannins. This very compact yet classy and harmonious effort appears to be built for mid- to even longer-term keeping. Extremely promising though I would strongly disadvise opening a bottle before at least 15 years has passed as this is presently a block of stone.