Domaine de la Romanee Conti La Tache Grand Cru MONOPOLE 1999

• 6/75 IB & OWC (SIB)
• bought EP C&B agent stock stored Octavian - sequential
• photos available
• available now

• Words remain inadequate to describe just how good this wine is as the '99 is a classic La Tâche in every respect with its incredibly pure, marvellously intense Asian spice box nose. There is terrific size, weight, and richness to the enveloping flavours of hoisin and pure pinot extract that delivers indescribable complexity at the hugely long finish. The big tannins are completely wrapped in velvet and while they are by no means invisible, they are beautifully well-integrated, indeed the word seamless comes to mind. This is almost certainly destined to become one of the all-time great vintages of La Tâche. Moreover, among the many bottles I have been blessed to have tried, I have never had one that was anything less than sensational. However, note that the '99 LT will be a long-distance runner, so a cellar-and-forget strategy is strongly advised, at least for the next decade. Multiple and consistent notes.

  99 points Allen Meadows, Burghound, Apr 2017, 2024+

   

  The 1999 La Tâche Grand Cru can be a perfect wine. This was very similar to the bottle opened in 2015. The bouquet sends you straight to heaven with so much purity and detail that it is difficult to put into words. Fleeting glimpses of redcurrant, then pomegranate, broom and wilted rose petals, later more earthy scents, autumnal. The palate is perfectly balanced with filigree tannin, an utterly entrancing symmetry and precision second to none. Hints of black plum and blood orange, that mineralité returning towards a finish so tensile you risk cutting yourself.

  100 points Neal Martin, Vinous  (4/2018)