Marc de Bourgogne from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
An eau-de-vie from one of the world's most prestigious wine estates.
A few months ago, we told you about Mouton Rothschild's Eau-de-Vie de Prunes, an extremely rare eau-de-vie whose production is confidential, almost secret. Today, we propose to take a look at its Burgundian counterpart, at least in terms of philosophy: the Marc de Bourgogne from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in 2000 vintage.
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, just the mention of the name is enough to make any wine enthusiast around the world shudder. Indeed, this mythical domain of Burgundy, installed in Vosne-Romanée, combines all the superlatives.
The estate, whose origins date back to the 13th century when the first vines were planted by the monks of Saint-Vivant, owes its name to Prince Louis-François de Bourbon-Conti, who acquired the estate in 1760 before dying in 1776. The estate was then confiscated during the French Revolution and sold to the highest bidder in 1794. Linked to this family for less than thirty years, the Romanée nevertheless added its name to that of the Conti. From then on, this 1.8 hectare plot was renamed Romanée-Conti and became one of the most prestigious domains in Burgundy.
Since 1974, the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti has been co-owned by the Villaine and Leroy-Roch families. The nephew of the emblematic Aubert de Villaine, Bertrand, and Perrine Fenal, the daughter of Lalou Bize-Leroy, owner and winemaker of Domaine Leroy and Domaine d'Auvenay and shareholder of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, are now co-managers.
With two monopolies, Romanée-Conti and La Tâche, the estate now covers 25 hectares of vines in Vosne-Romanée and beyond. In addition, the following appellations can be found in red: Corton Grand Cru, Echezeaux Grand Cru, Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru, Richebourg Grand Cru and Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru. In white, we find Montrachet Grand Cru and Corton-Charlemagne, which are farmed out. To this must be added two secret wines, very confidential in terms of volume and reserved for private consumption, a Hautes Côtes de Nuits white and a Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru.
Historically, the estate's bottles were sold exclusively in mixed cases, with only one bottle of Romanée-Conti. Although the latter, the legendary and most precious cuvée, produced in only some 5,000 bottles per year, is the focus of attention, the other grand crus of the estate are irreproachable in terms of the work carried out both in the vineyard and in the winery.
The entire vineyard has been farmed organically since 1985 and biodynamically since 2007 by Nicolas Jacob, the vineyard manager. All the wines are vinified in the simplest way possible, under the supervision of Alexandre Bernier, the cellar master. A great respect for the soil, grapes of great genetic purity, little or no destemming, maturing in new barrels and finally, the humility and observation of the people who work at the estate.
The result is wines renowned for their great finesse, their delicate texture on the palate, as well as their floral aromas and their great capacity for ageing. In fact, Allen Meadows, the famous American wine critic, expert and enthusiast of Burgundy wines, gave the highest score to only one wine: the Romanée-Conti 1945 vintage.
Despite these appellations, which are among the most prestigious in France and even in the world, and this reputation, the estate has managed to impose itself while remaining discreet and even modest.
In addition to its Grands Crus and its star cuvée, which continues to thrill the auction houses, the estate produces a Marc de Bourgogne, made from the estate's own grapes, in the purest tradition of making marcs in the region.
This confidential eau-de-vie, which even the estate itself does not mention, is made from the grape marc of the harvest, to which neutral alcohol is added, before being aged in barrels. Produced entirely from high quality biodynamic grapes, this Marc offers great complexity and delivers floral notes of great intensity. At once suave and delicate on the palate, it coats the palate with an earthy, mushroomy bouquet mixed with apricots and honey and lingers on a long, saline finish. The whole is surprisingly balanced.
An exceptional, almost emotional Marc, this 2000 vintage was bottled on 07 December 2017. A true rarity, from one of the most prestigious wine estates in the world, if not the most prestigious, that will crown your next gastronomic meal with a surprising lightness.
DOMAINE DE LA ROMANÉE-CONTI - Marc de Bourgogne - Vintage 2000 - Bottle of 70 cl
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