ROMANEE CONTI Echezeaux Grand cru 2022

The 2022 Échézeaux Grand Cru was picked on 11 and 12 September at 42.9 hL/ha. This was impressive out of barrel. It soars from the glass with black cherries, raspberry and white-tipped strawberry, the floral element (violets) less prominent compared to its showing from cask. There is just a hint of cumin in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy tannins that bare some consanguinity with the Corton. A bit rough and rugged at the moment. though time will abrade its edges. Fine depth, a little more saline than I recall, it remains controlled and focused all the way through to the lightly peppered finish. It is an Echézeaux that demands to be taken as seriously as its siblings. 1,966 cases produced.

The Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's Pinot Noir harvest concluded on 11-12 September with the 2022 Échézeaux Grand Cru, a fleshy and expressive wine that bursts with aromas of sweet dark berries and cherries mingled with notions of incense, orange zest, exotic spices and peonies. Medium to full-bodied, ripe and flamboyant, with a layered, juicy core of fruit, it concludes with a broad, sapid finish.