My first experience with these bottlings–absolutely extraordinary. Shared among six, generously provided by three, we each got about half a glass of each. Each wine changed enormously over time. Both La Tâches showed similarly with the 1978 still having more in the tank, a bigger, bolder version of '85. Enormously complex nose, with at times striking and surprising notes of smoked meat, even pork, as well as soy and hoisin, later showing white mushroom and truffles. On the palate the former are interlaced with intense sinuous reddish fruit and at one moment what I could only call rose petal dust. The finish goes on and on and on. The DRC’s again echoed one another with 1979 at first, in my view, albeit controversially appearing the better drink. It showed a beautiful ruby in the glass with enormous concentration on the palate and a more linear development that showed something like charcoal and chocolate on the incredibly long finish. This wine, however, seemed to me to shut down a bit over time, while the 1978 proved more and more giving. The DRC, especially the 1978, offered notes I have never gotten from any other Pinot from Burgundy or elsewhere. There was and remained something oceanic about it–saline, almost seaweed, accompanied what I imagine whale oil or musk to be like. In there is an almost liquerish fruit, the finish showing amazing length with distinctive leather notes, as well as the aforementioned charcoal and chocolate. On that night, the more experienced tasters gave the crown to the 1978 La Tâche, the taste of which haunted me on the 7.5 hour drive back home. Yet my thoughts kept returning to the Romaneé-Conti, a climat I doubt I will have the opportunity to revisit.
Nice that you could taste these with some age instead of the trend to open these young.
However, I don’t understand the math - each bottle shared among six and you each got 1/2 a glass?
That’s one hell of a commute too. Would probably done the same though.
Each of us got half a glass of each wine, to be clear, maybe 3-4 oz. They were decanted off the sediment and so on and I was cautious with my pour, which we all did for ourselves.
Yes, it was generous, especially of course with the Romanée-Conti. They were bought back in the day, but still…My buy in was a few (3) gems, or almost such, from my collection (a Giacosa Riserva, an aged Mouton, and a Rousseau Mazy), but nothing of course in the range of even a single one of these.
A 1978 DRC RC that I had on my 19th birthday ruined me on Burgundy for nearly two decades. I mean where else can you go from there when you’ve had arguably the best? I can still taste it and remember the look on my dads face when he had his first sip.