Romanee Conti 1999

Ruby-red. Deep, sappy, brooding nose dominated by liqueur-like ripeness and oriental spices. Huge yet magically light on its feet; completely unevolved and less showy and sweet today than La Tache, but has all the elements for future greatness. The suggestion of green austerity will be transformed into rose petal in 12 to 15 years, says de Villaine. The thoroughly ripe, suave tannins coat the entire palate. 97(+?) points

Score: 97

Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar 01 March 2002

Vibrant, pure, spicy and concentrated to the point of almost painful intensity with its super ripe, palate staining flavors yet this remains regal, almost aloof and quite reserved. The focus in unbelievable and while it's hard to speak of subtle power, one can sense the vibrancy and depths of reserve that are only hinted at now. This is every bit as good as the La Tâche but a completely different expression. It is also the longest of any of these wines and the finish lasts literally for minutes; I could still taste it the next day. Between this and the La Tâche, I could only shake my head in awe. As I noted in Issue 1, M. de Villaine couldn't be happier with the quality of his 99s, explaining that the raw materials the Domaine was blessed with are among the best he's ever seen. He observed that while the Domaine is always seeking to do better, he's not entirely sure it is possible to exceed the quality of the raw materials they had in 1999.

Score: 98

Allen Meadows, Burghound Maturity: 2015-2030+ 01 January 2002