Romanée-Conti La Tâche 2000 Grand Cru

The 2000 La Tâche Grand Cru is showing extraordinarily well, and I can only assume that the comparatively parsimonious appreciation it has received from other wine critics is owing to insecurity concerning awarding a high score to a wine from an "off vintage." Soaring from the glass with a deep and complex bouquet of wilted rose petals, sweet wild berry fruit, exotic spices, orange rind and violets, it's full-bodied, sensual and enveloping, with a deep and layered core of fruit, melting tannins, succulent acids and a long, sapid finish. Fully mature, the 2000 is one of the most rewarding recent vintages of La Tâche to drink today.