Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, La Tache Grand Cru 2007

2007 La Tâche was restrained and elegant, with an alluring bouquet of bright red fruit such as pomegranate and cranberry, plus a bit of the sweetness of fraise de bois, then an accent of rose petals and violets. The texture is fresh, almost crisp. There is a perfumed elegance, and although the wine lacks the exuberant, dense character of the 2017 vintage, it sustains the fruit with its grippy tannin instead.

The 2007 La Tâche Grand Cru is a vintage that I have not tasted since bottling. Now 11 years old, it shows extremely well in the context of the growing season. Almost delicate red fruit springs from the glass, wild strawberry and morello cherries mingling with undergrowth and tree-bark-like scents, becoming more floral with aeration and yet never powerful. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, almost lace-like tannins more redolent of Romanée-Conti. This displays wonderful precision and is lean in style for a La Tâche, but the sense of energy and athleticism is completely endearing. Tasted in November 2018 at the Roumier Musigny dinner at Épure in Hong Kong.

The 2007 La Tâche Grand Cru is fully mature, offering up aromas of red berries, potpourri and spices mingled with hints of forest floor and new oak. Medium-bodied, with lively acids, melted tannins and an open, comparatively evolved core, my sense is that it's at its best today and over the next handful of years.