1985 Grands Echezeaux

The Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's 1985 Grands Échézeaux Grand Cru is showing spectacularly well, soaring from the glass with aromas of blackberries and cassis mingled with notions of hoisin, exotic spices, orange rind, peonies and cola. Full-bodied, rich and ample, it's velvety and enveloping, with a fleshy core of fruit, superb depth and dimension and a long, expansive and intensely perfumed finish. Every glass revealed different but equally captivating nuances over the course of the evening.

The 1985 Grands-Echézeaux Grand Cru is poured blind during dinner. The first aspect that I observe on the nose is the presence of stems that leads me to this domaine because during this era, I often find that the stems were not as well integrated as they are nowadays. They dominate the brambly red fruit and light bay leaf notes behind. The palate is balanced and thoroughly enjoyable, yet the influence of those "pesky" stems detracts from the terroir expression or indeed, the fruit that was so generous in this growing season. I have better bottles of 1985 from the domaine. Tasted at Noble Rot restaurant.