Domaine de la Romanee Conti La Tache Grand Cru MONOPOLE 1996

• Fantastically pure with the classic spice box, hoisin, and soy nose followed by big, rich, very structured flavors that display notes of earth, leather, and tea. The tannins are big, ripe, and completely buffered by the sap with a length that is simply phenomenal. This remains completely primary and seems not to have budged at all since it was bottled. A genuinely great vintage for La Tache that is softer in the mouth than the '96 Grands Ech and this should improve for another decade and last for 50 years. Very classy juice. Note: while it's happened only twice in my experience, the '96 can be intensely vegetal on the nose and not exhibit the purity that the wine is justifiably famous for; however, I have tasted so many outstanding bottles of the '96 LT that I view these two examples as outliers. 96 points Allen Meadows, Burghound, Jan 2012, 2016+
• 6 / 75 IB & OWC
• bought EP C&B stock stored Octavian
• photos available
• available now