The Essence of La Romanee

The celebration of the 200 years anniversary of the Liger-Belair family in Burgundy offered the opportunity to taste 12 vintages of La Romanee from 2002 to 2013.

This is a rare treat indeed, and it gave me the chance to explore this magnificent terroir in depth – to find the esssence of La Romanee if you like.

The essence of La Romanee

After Louis-Michel Liger-Belair have improved quality significantly over the years – La Romanee is in my view back as one of the three top terroirs of Vosne-Romanee, edging slightly ahead of both Romanee Saint-Vivant and Richebourg.

Great wines are made on both Romanee Saint-Vivant and Richebourg, but the terroir is more variable on these large vineyards and so is the quality of the producers. The top three terroirs are of course La Tâche, La Romanee and Romanee Conti.

These are all both rare and expensive wines, so my thoughts about these terroirs is based on a rather limited number of bottles and tastings .. so please bear with me.

La Romanee is in my view quite closely related to both Romanee-Conti and Romanee Saint Vivant, as it shares the delicate refinement and the profound and extraordinary depth and complexity in the midpalate fruit.

Located higher on the slope La Romanee offer a more expressive minerality than both Romanee Saint-Vivant and Romanee-Conti – the bouquet is more floral, and the finish is more defined and focused by a more intense but very filigree minerality.

The minerality is powerful but very delicate and finely grained – in my view -more refined than both Richebourg and La Tâche, and more outspoken than Romanee-Conti – perhaps even combining the mineralic power of Richebourg and the sexy delicacy of Les Petits Monts.

In addition La Romanee offer a delightful core of very juicy midpalate fruit with a very delicate tension between sweeter red fruit and some slightly more vibrant sweet/sour pomegranate like notes.

The midpalate of Romanee-Conti offer more weight and depth with a slightly more earthy minerality … but the vibrant energy and complexity in the core fruit is closely related, and in my view quite unique for these two wines.

La Tâche is stylewise more about power and weight, and is in my view more closely related to Richebourg, with a powerful minerality … most likely from the Gaudichots part, but with a deep weighty fruit from the lower parts .. including La Tâche plot called Joly de Bévy.

So in my view La Romanee is quite closely related to Romanee-Conti, especially the transparent, ethereal and vibrant core of midpalate fruit is unique for these two wines. The minerality of La Romanee is however more powerful and expressive than Romanee-Conti and to me feels more filigree and refined than that of La Tâche and Richebourg. As La Romanee is higher on the slope and on more shallow soil, it has slightly lesser weight on the midpalate fruit than experienced in La Tâche, Romanee-Conti and the very best examples of Romanee Saint-Vivant and Richebourg.

La Romanee … refined and effortless.

Latest Tasting Notes

• Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, La Romanee 2006 September 6, 2018
• Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, La Romanee 2010 December 5, 2017
• Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, La Romanee 2009 June 21, 2017
• Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, La Romanee 2014 June 24, 2016
• Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, La Romanee 2014 March 14, 2016
• Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, La Romanee 2008 November 26, 2015
• Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, La Romanee 2009 June 28, 2015
• Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, La Romanee 2011 June 28, 2015
• Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, La Romanee 2008 June 28, 2015
• Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, La Romanee 2010 June 26, 2015
• Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, La Romanee 2005 June 26, 2015
• Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, La Romanee 2003 June 21, 2015
• Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, La Romanee 2004 June 21, 2015
• Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, La Romanee 2007 June 21, 2015
• Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, La Romanee 2002 June 17, 2015
• Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, La Romanee 2012 June 14, 2015
• Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, La Romanee 2013 June 14, 2015
• Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, La Romanee 2006 June 14, 2015
• Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, La Romanee 2013 April 3, 2015
• Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, La Romanee 2012 May 6, 2014

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