March 26, 2024 - Effortlessly polished, subtle and balanced. (726/15657)
October 20, 2023 - blind
Guessed the winery but no idea of the site. After that we had LT and CC 16. In that comparison it was the "weakest" and less concentrated wine but still fine and multi layered. In a nice first drinking window. 95
October 11, 2023 - Stem, floral aromatics. Hugely dimensioned wine. Balance, sweetness, persistence, everything basically. (1838/15657)
July 7, 2023 - Blind, none at the table guessed DRC, the floral nose only emerged after at least 30 minutes in glass. Glorious nose with excellent texture once open up a bit
July 6, 2023 - Caution - do not open today! DRC 16s are tough work at this moment in my experience. It seems that the high skin to juice ratio of the vintage (which in general is clearly a vintage de garde) and wholebunch of the Domaine make them quite impenetrable at this juncture. I had a similar experience with 2 bottles of Tache 2016 last year where we found it difficult to finish the bottle. Initially here too it was side by side a DRC GE 17 a wine that was almost painful to bring to nose and mouth for the next sniff and sip. The 17 was just so open and giving. The RSV 16 on the nose almost reminded me of a Rayas staple wine on the nose (just not what I expect from RSV). Unlike Tache last year though it opened up a bit with air and an hour in it mellowed to become more mineral and classic black fruited. It's no doubt a wine to hold onto for 10-20 years minimum and it should be grand. For today's gratification I would almost say it's as low a score as 90-92 (maybe you see that differently if only poured a glass but a bottle between two was hard work) and on promise/potential I see this at 97/98 so taking a mid-point. WAIT!
February 11, 2023 - Ethereal floral aromatics, stem dominant. Red fruited palate with sweetness and balance. Silk texture. (724/15657)
December 26, 2022 - Beautiful stem and floral aromatics. Polished, stylish, charmingly sweet palate. (5452/15657)
October 28, 2022 - Astoundingly good already. Substantial yet ethereal. Polished, floral aromatics. Seamless, pure, palate. Wow! (725/15657)
May 30, 2022 - Stunning. The impression is seriously intense on the nose and palate, with deep dark fruit and a million layers of flavor. But despite the depth and breadth, and the obvious grandeur, this is really very elegant and nothing feels out of place. Obviously an infant with a long life ahead, but the structure is so fine that it's really quite lovely even today. DRC really nailed '16. This bested the '02 and '05 DRC RSVs opened alongside it. My score may be conservative.
March 31, 2022 - Floral aromatics, ever so fine. Incredibly pure, delineated and transparent palate that just goes on and on with sweetness to boot. Love this vintage for DRC. (1022/15657)