4/14/2019 - tinybubbles Likes this wine:

Still a long way from maturity, but this bottle was more open and slightly more advanced than I expected. Layers of purple fruit on the palate. Nose took some time to open and even then the spice notes on begrudgingly. Great weight across the midpalate and finish. 97+

9/9/2019 - Astrophel wrote:

Given that it's so young, this really deserves a good 8hrs of air prior to drinking, but on this occasion it was only given 2. With that said, this is a pretty spectacular wine. Not shut down, angry or tight, just young. The pure power and concentration is remarkable with a solid, massive core of gorgeous red fruit and spice. There's also that classic sweetness running throughout. Notably, at least for me, I didn't particularly get a suffusion of stems, as that classic DRC trait was circling in harmony with the other facets of the wine. Balanced and yet magnificently powerful. This will be a great wine to track over the next several decades. I'm giving it 4 stars both because of how technically perfect it is now and also because of the potential here, which is demarcated by the question mark. XXXX(?)

8/23/2020 - Andre Brattland wrote:

Complex and present with wonderfully concentrated red berries that spread out with everything you could desire from the toolbox within the genres of power and charm. Lovely forest, hints of graphite and a clear touch of After eight - both the chocolate and the mint inside. Also the most wonderful deep spices that come in all varieties and create desire.

Nice full-bodied wine with fabulously concentrated redberry fruit, lightly dried fruit edge, mint and wet ground. This undergrowth tone is great throughout. Superb spices impresses. Nice acidity and tighter, but typical tannin structure. The wine is probably experienced as being a little grumpy from being disturbed now. Not in phase, but it has a long life to cover. (Approx. 50 years) Brilliant wine with great potential. 96 points. (98p - 100p potential)

9/19/2020 - eschuldt wrote:

6 hour decant. Barn yard, sous bois, still very big on the palate. Better when consumed with a rich cheese dish but simply not my thing.

10/15/2020 - fcxj wrote:

Just pure harmony. Elegance, restraint, energy, clarity, the works. (12113/21906)

10/15/2020 - fcxj wrote:

Slightly off focus compared to first bottle, but we're still in the stratosphere. (12115/21906)

11/5/2020 - LB88 wrote:

My other wine of the night tonight. I heard we just got lucky on the bottle which showed surprisingly well for such a big vintage. Mesmerizing floral nose of violets, well structured palate that had surprising tension and concentration. Still quite primary but starting to evolve and had a lovely floral aftertaste early in the evening which just evolved and got more complex. Could improve even more from here. Just such a privilege to enjoy this.

11/6/2020 - steinersing wrote:

Ficofi dinner and from Zalto, opened 4 hours ahead. This showed surprisingly well even though the nose doesn’t yet show the LT complexity to its full extent. But perfect fruit, layers and balance here are dramatic. Patience required but as other 2005s starting to slowly waking up.

8/28/2020 - Burgnick Likes this wine:

This was served to be blind and my first impression was that this is a reference point wine. I thought it could be a Cathiard RSV, Meo Richebourg or Roumier Bonnes Mares. Dark fruit driven with an overlay of stems, wild spice, purple fruit, and animal. Despite the generous host double-decanted at 2pm and served at 8pm, the wine was still not fully open. Pouring it to the decanter at 8pm has certainly helped. The power of this wine was simply monstrous. This is probably 20 years too young to drink. 96-97 today with 98+ potential.

8/8/2020 - strijbosmh Likes this wine:

We went a little nuts. Drank this after opening with a Dom Oenotheque '96 and a Keller G-Max'09. Feet in the pool. Kids playing and enjoying themselves. Pizza. Best wine I've ever had.

7/9/2020 - jdtonic Likes this wine:

out of wood
ruby red
splash decant

A reticent nose of red fruits, funk and yellow flowers. a fluid carnival atmosphere, with smoke, steam, and various other attention diversions and impediments to good taste —and tasting well- stole a point maybe, and another rolling party where the best company was french- and at work. (They assured me that the wine was outstanding. wink.)

The waiter mgr wished to add ‘champignons du bois’ to her profile. I agree that the red fruited palate was nice but shy — a little more plummy the next afternoon. Some spice emerging. Rose water. Ennui?

Admittedly, I felt she ~ Tasted Young ~ a ubiquitous term often used to defend the speedy monoliths.

I found myself searching out the word “precise” to describe the subtle palate of this wine— another term sometimes deployed to assuage the creeping realization that a 2016 rhys alpine would have a been a far wiser choice of beverage on Thursday. (But that’s on me, and not the Civil Society of Romanian Counts or anyone else.

HOLD OFF
94-95

3/20/2021 - WIBA wrote:

shame shame shame. off bottle. no depth and short on the palate. need a redo

2/3/2013 - VintageSully wrote:

In hindsight, it may have been unfortunate that this wine was my first experience in drinking Red Burgundy as it is possible nothing else (except another La Tache) will ever come close. Had the great fortune to share several bottles with a very good friend during the Super Bowl this year (along with some Kobe filets) and I was in heaven. This wine (nectar seems more appropriate) absolutely oozed perfection. The fruit was big and mouth-filling and yet so wonderfully clothed in silk and balance that the overall effect was that of drinking art. A true masterpiece and an experience I will always remember.

3/1/2014 - rnellans wrote:

Not particulary dominant over the 05 Richebourg on this day but still a great wine. Very nice nose of asian spice and earthy notes. Kalidascopic complex flavors that adds that extra dimension one sees with La Tache. Not quite as big structure as the Richebourg, but enough tannins for the long haul.

5/29/2013 - Hank Gillespie Likes this wine:

Wow ! This is some wine ! ! I wasn’t ready for what jumped out of my glass.
My initial reaction was that this wine is powerful – stylish – bundles of energy here, and the wine moves in a crescendo of power throughout – no where near ready, but the elements suggest this could be one of the best La Tache’s ever. Most difficult to separate “the orchestra” from its parts – powerful yet simple in its purity.

Dark purple/ruby with a razor thin rim; aromas seem to have it all – black cherry fruit, black currant liqueur – gentle lilac and plum blossom – roasted hazelnut and nutmeg spice – toast - new oak, all in a full and penetrating package of delights ushering forth from the glass; strength and power but at the same time elegance and subtle texture; mouth coating fruit – deep and concentrated – extending well back on the palate; round, rich berry fruit, with underlying solid acidity and tannins; finishes with such length that it remains for minutes on the palate; probably needs another 12 years but should last for several decades.

12/19/2014 - jtech wrote:

Clean. Clear. Extreme intensity, lots and lots of concentration, heavy but weigthless still. Lots of fruit and minerality, this wine sings. Seamless and after a while it develops top notes. The tannins are ripe and fine, the acidity is just perfect and carries the wine like nothing. The finish is extreme, almost two minutes. This is one of the best wines I've ever had.

6/7/2014 - dcwino wrote:

La Tache dinner (The Boardl Room at Capella Hotel Georgetown): Upon release, this wine quickly shot up to $3,500 per bottle in grey market. I was fortunate to try a few off a number of restaurant lists. Very youthful but very expressive and hedonistic. Perfectly ripe red fruit driven nose, raspberries, raspberries jam, dark cherries, a hint of stems, tie guan yin, perfume and sweet spices. Precise palate, incredibly layered, youthful intense sweet red fruit driven palate impression, silky and polished, bright acidity and noticeable but nicely integrated tannins. Despite the youth, this is very expressive and incredibly complex. Compare to the 90, perhaps slightly less concentrated and not as ripe but as complex if not more and more precise. For me this is perfect in every way. As a side note, some tasters thought it was way too young. I tend to love my Burgundy very young as well as very old.

12/15/2015 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:

The 2005 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche Grand Cru is a very pretty, in fact a beautiful wine but it needs plenty of time. There’s perfectly ripe cherry fruit coupled with Asian spice. Its oak is noticeable but not dominant and it has good power and length.

3/2/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote:

2nd Most Epic Burgundy Dinner (Boulevard - San Francisco CA): Served blind in a nice Vosne flight. My first time tasting this vintage. Corked. Jeremy thought it corked right away, it took me another 2-3 minutes to agree.

4/15/2016 - dcwino wrote:

Weekend with Eddie - Part 1 (Marea, New York City): I must profess that I love the 05 La Tache and have a strong favorable bias. The nose has never shutdown hard since release, i.e. always very youthful, pure and hedonistic. Expressive nose displaying intense pure sweet red fruits, raspberry, raspberry jelly, strawberry, a hint of Vosne spice and tie guan yin, decadent caramel and stem. Incredibly concentrated yet perfectly precise and harmonious palate, infinitely layered fruit, bright acidity that sets the excellent precision and gives vibrancy, nicely integrated tannins and unbelievably long finish. I prefer the red fruit and purity of the 05 over the black fruit and incredible concentration of the 99. I find the nose incredibly energetic and the palate so sensual. This wine always lifts my spirit. Another perfect showing.

5/14/2016 - Alex G. Likes this wine:

The good news is the bottle is pristine -- and authentic, there sure was a lot of fake '05 La Tache out there. The bad news is it was infanticide. This wine is a massive black hole, but happily not too tannic to enjoy. The many layers are just hinting at coming out of their shell. Such a privilege to taste this legendary wine, though I would strongly recommend keeping hands off for at least another 10 years, or even better, 25 years.

7/12/2016 - aquacongas Likes this wine:

Wine Monuments Man Chapter 1 (Berens am Kai 1 star Restaurant): Barolo meets Bordeaux with some Northern Rhone but the result is a perfect Burgundy wine.

3 hours of decantation was hardly enough, probably 12 hours would be ok.

Very spicy, cassis, violet, roses liquer, red berries, unbelievable power, white pepper like a Hermitage, for me it is Mike Tyson behind a Kate Moss face. at least 20-30 years ahead, 98-99

11/5/2016 - dcwino wrote:

2016 Villa d’Este Wine Symposium - Kelly, Alan and Kevin's excellent adventure; 11/3/2016-11/12/2016 (Villa D’este, Lake Como, Piedmont, Milan and Frankfurt): For my palate, anything less than perfect is a bit of let down for the 05 La Tache. Very youthful, energetic and complex nose displaying pure slightly roasted blackberry, raspberry jelly, mocha, Vosne spice, Asian medicine, jasmine tea, caramel and stem. It is so perfectly balanced that the palate is incredibly silky and almost weightless. Despite its youth, this is a perfect wine for my palate. Emotional and spiritually uplifting. Another perfect showing!

12/16/2008 - alvino wrote:

Clearly the best wine at the annual DRC tasting event held last night. Nice nose. Hint of red vine fruit. Pretty garnet color. Great middle fruit and long satisfying fininsh. When I first started buying this wine with the 1983 vintage it was $75 a bottle. Having consumed many bottles of this wine and it being my favorite wine in the whole wide world, I'm not sure why anybody would pay anything close to what this wine is selling for now...unless you have more money than common sense.

6/1/2008 - Samantha wrote:

Rich, huge ripe tannins, in direct opposition to '01 which we had just before. This wine was so smooth, red fruits, great balance, great finish

6/14/2008 - pakabear wrote:

It is simply amazing how well this wine showed given it's age. It is absolutely MIND BLOWING. The best nose I've ever experienced on a Burgundy, to some that means best nose period :) There are layers upon layers of spices that hit you when you approach the glass, initially there was some classic Burgundy funk, but that blew off pretty fast. The palate had a near perfect balance, with some age it will probably be perfect. Black Cherry, Vanilla, Leather and Forest Floor are most noticeable to me, but the tell tale sign of a great wine is that fact that the longer you sit with it, the more adjectives you can add.

9/1/2012 - johnh1001 wrote:

Opened and drank over 4 hours. Incredibly perfumed, dense and rich on the nose. The aromatics kept changing. At one point it was dark fruit only, then black pepper, then moved to mint then to celery and then settled back to dark fruit, wood, Asian spice. The palate was a massive dense core of red, blue, black fruit that was extremely tight at first and only slightly budged after a few hours. The classic DRC spice started to really come through but you can just tell there will be so much more in the future. The ultra long finish lasted for minutes and displayed a quite a bit of tannin but this was easily matched by the core of fruit. Luckily I have a few more bottles in the cellar and I will not think to touch another one for a decade. A real treat, but definitely way too early.

8/25/2012 - CamWheeler wrote:

DRC Dinner 2 (Sydney, Australia): A swirling nose of cherry, liquorice, graphite, earth and after quite some time perfumed floral aromas came forth. The palate is where this wine really showed its potential, it is muscular and wound extremely tightly, but there was brilliant depth and an effortless power to it. There are powerful fine tannins and they are needed to keep pace with the weight of this wine. Of all the wines we tried, this was the one that was most in need of time, I don't doubt that it will be a legend but it may not be there for another 15+ years.

10/29/2011 - Pacalet wrote:

Thanx to a friend who is willing to open a Jeroboam! Decanted for 2 hours, dark red color, very deep and floral nose with loads of spices and herbs, soft and very fine tannins, ripe, well balanced and palate needs much longer to develop structure and secondary flavors. Very classy and elegant burg.

4/1/2011 - KPK wrote:

Drank March 2011. Phenomenal representation of the vintage and the House. Extremely delicate and slightly floral. On the palate strong red fruit characteristics. A very subtle and beautiful wine.

10/31/2008 - dcwino wrote:

Everything is in perfect balance, very expressive, also showing core inner energy. Perfect in everyway.

6/16/2008 - dcwino wrote:

I found it hard to describe this wine as it had everything that you look for in a young wine. The wine has explosive nose, incredible concentration, sensual texture and perfect balance.

Explosive nose of black cherry, exotic spices, white pepper, cinnamon, anise, stewed tomato, undertone of strawberry. The palate displays incredible concentration, silky texture a la young woman’s bosoms, so unctuous texture and the finish last forever.

9/9/2008 - dcwino wrote:

Having tasted great mature La Taches, I feel sad to drink these wines way too young. However, in lieu of the current 05 La Tache price, it is hard to resist trying this monumental wine at a reasonable price, relatively speaking that is. So Rene and I tried another bottle.

We drank a bottle in mid June.

As soon as we tasted the wine, Rene mentioned that the bottle is a bit closed compare to the June bottle. The fruit is not as expressive but it is more mineral and perfumed. This bottle also shows cinnamon, anise and white pepper as before but also has extra perfumed nose a la white flower extract. It is more sensual and cooler expression. It still shows great concentration and beautiful silky texture but perhaps not young woman’s bosoms. It is very mineral, limestone and chalk. This is more complex and less opulent bottle. 96 to 98 pts.

10/31/2009 - dcwino wrote:

It was interesting to compare the 05 Rousseau Clos de Beze and the 05 La Tache. The Rousseau displayed pure fruit, a great example of a CDB where the 05 La Tache was already showing mind blowing complexity, very Vosne fruit, hint of tea, more exotic than the initial release with killer heavenly airy silky texutre.

10/4/2009 - dcwino wrote:

I loved this wine. It is quite shy, light color wine. Nice tea, caramel, butter, almond paste, typical Vosne spice. Extreme impressive palate like the 89 Y’Quem that I had recently in that once it hits the palate, it just evaporates. Nice acidity and long finish. It is a delicate lady with very firm and strong core/soul.

4/22/2007 - G SQUARED wrote:

Dinner at Bern's. Amazing. You can just tell a La Tache in a second from the nose. This did not disappoint. Beautiful fruit, total elegance.

6/7/2014 - dcwino wrote:

La Tache dinner (The Boardl Room at Capella Hotel Georgetown): The label is almost illegible. The cork at the top is most and covered with black gunk. It is hard to pull the cork which is a great sign. The cork came out intact and 1950 is clearly visible. This is a great old La Tache. Light color with a hint of brown but clear and bright. Decadent light caramel, slightly diluted raspberry jam, a hint of sous bois but not strong, grilled mushroom, smoke, soy and gentle Asian spice. Fully resolved seamless sweet palate, lovely long finish. Delicate yet not shy. A great privilege, an emotional experience. I can drink this all night.

1/10/2013 - vin2share wrote:

Wonderful aromatic bouquet with hints of cherry, spices and classic notes one would expect of a very fine Burgundy red. On the palate, it began to show its age - flavorful with good secondary notes and a nice finish but medium to low intensity. Overall, another lovely La Tache encounter but I advocate drinking up soon!

5/4/2019 - Oupszutalors Likes this wine:

Waouh, very very délicate Wine with a aging nose of earth wood, touch of a very delicate and very fine flawors. The Wine is still alived. A deepness incredible for its age. A novel with lots of pages to explore..... Drunk with a Zalto Burgundy Wine

12/7/2020 - tinybubbles Likes this wine:

Transparent character, and it is a good one. Very good bottle.

12/14/2019 - jchan1 wrote:

Intoxicating nose loaded with vosne spices and herbs. No specious sweetness, no nonsense. A monumental wine and testament to impeccable storage condition.

12/16/2015 - aquacongas Likes this wine:

Achim's Magnum Tasting 2015 (Behrens am Kai in Düsseldorf 1 star restaurant): Wow, perfect filling. The nose is unbelievable: espresso powder, fresh roasted tobacco leaves, licorice, dark chocolate, classical Burgundy style, my second la tache so I don't know if it is a marker especially for La Tache, but some people said it was representative for this site. Very elegant, deep and concentrated, great length. With air and time gaining in the palate as roasted coffee beans, still present crispy acidity. In the nose 100, in the palate 95 makes 98, especially for his age

1/19/2013 - Blake Brown Likes this wine:

hockingly good; delicious mature fruit, full body, finishes a little dry and is definitely a candidate for the best of 12 53`s this evening with about 20 more to go tomorrow night.

6/7/2014 - dcwino wrote:

La Tache dinner (The Boardl Room at Capella Hotel Georgetown): Initially pine resin/VA and a hint of madeira. A bit of advanced nose, remnant of strawberry. The palate also shows a bit of oxidation. With air, the wine regained the composure becoming very similar to the 50 but not quite, a bit more noticeable strawberry fruits, perfume, tree bark and coffee. Soft and round palate, a hint of madeira, toffee, no sign of tannins and medium finish. I believe I was the only one who liked the wine. I love to drink another bottle but doubt my chance.

2/10/1985 - drwine2001 wrote:

A Mid-1980's Tasting of Twenty One Vintages of La Tâche (1945-1980) (Private residence, San Francisco): Very pale. Fragrant and terrific perfumed nose which is marred by cardboardy cork-drat. Transiently delicious, still has significant tannin. Turns vinegary and harsh, and falls apart very quickly. I would love to see a sound bottle of this, which should be ethereal.

10/10/2018 - FYC wrote:

Double decanted 3 hours prior. I almost didn’t decant because this showed a pretty red strawberry fruit with a hint of spice already. A surprising amount of sediment fine and chunky given the age. Filtered the remaining sediment through fine mesh gold coffee filter: the fruit is dark and smooth at the core and finish long and perfumed. Very nice finish. Tasting notes to follow. I hope this doesn’t shut down.

Updated (at dinner):

Surprisingly open. This was surprisingly pure with notes of crushed strawberries, spice, and sour cherries. The palate is more red fruited without the sediment. The nose continued to evolve with occasional hints of mint and a touch of vanilla oak. This became more shut down after 5 hours of double decant and 2.5 hours in the glass. A surprise to the upside with excellent potential.

8/17/2017 - Jean-Philippe M Likes this wine:

C'est magnifique, sur les fruits foncés, des fleurs, épices et réglisse noire. Le vin semble plus vieux que le millésime, peu d'acidité, de bons tannins et une longueur phénoménale. Pour le même millésime j'ai préféré Romanée St-Vivant.

4/5

8/17/2017 - Mario17 Likes this wine:

Ouvert et carafé 2 heures avant de le boire, ce qui n'était pas assez long, ça lui a pris du temps à se révéler, on l'a bu lentement et plus la soirée avançait, meilleur il devenait, quel vin au final.

La couleur est assez évoluée, un peu surpris au départ, pas la robe la plus claire ou la plus limpide.

Un nez complexe, fleurs, rose, du fruit à revendre, des épices, des arômes qui se développe malgré une certaine contenance au départ surtout.

La bouche est magnifique, c'est un vin si puissant mais avec une élégance et une grandeur bien présente, une longue finale qui laisse un goût incroyable en bouche.

Ce que je retiens surtout est le crescendo de ce vin au cours de la soirée, bu en 2 heures, quelle évolution incroyable dans le verre. Si je noterais, je dirais 95 points.

7/7/2017 - fcxj wrote:

67 PM. Pristine ex domaine bottle. Floral, sappy, flirty. Fresh, much more so than last week in Santenay. Danced across palate. (00000/22140)

6/27/2017 - fcxj wrote:

Santenay. Ruddy brown, heavily bricked. Earthy aromas and tart cherry palate. Deep, ripe palate. (19050/22140)