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Domaine Romanee-Conti Le Montrachet 1997: Hard to Find, Expensive, But Worth Every Cent.Mar 29 '05 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Expensive, yes, but definitely worth the cost. I wouldn't drink this every day, obviously, but on those particularly momentous occasions, I fearlessly recommend it.
Yesterday's lunch for my group of three (a stockbroker, a doctor, and myself) revolved around a bottle of Domaine Romanee-Conti's (DRC) Le Montrachet 1997. An extremely rare white wine from the Burgundian appellation of Montrachet, only approximately 200 cases of this Chardonnay-based wine are produced each year. Domaine Romanee-Conti, the maker of Le Montrachet, also produces what is considered the Holy Grail of red Burgundies, it's self-named DRC, as well as the highly prized La Tache. The stockbroker (who also happens to partly own a wine shop), shrewd and well-connected as he is, got wind of three bottles available in Manila and negotiated the price of one of them down to just over US$1000. We agreed to split the bottle, as well as the cost, three ways. At his behest, a special menu was created by the chef of the Tivoli (i.e., the Continental restaurant of the Manila Mandarin Hotel): 5 creative spins on fresh Norwegian Salmon, Orange flavored duck consomme with poached foie gras, pan-seared gindara (i.e., a kind of black cod) and oven-roasted lobster over a scallop and sun-dried tomato risotto, finishing with passion fruit panna cotta with marinated orange segments served with natural yoghurt ice cream. For starters, a bottle of 1996 Dom Perignon which I thoroughly enjoyed with fresh scallops, oysters and some goose liver pate. In the glass, the Montrachet was an impossibly bright, clear viscous yellow-gold with the slightest Fuji-apple-green blush. "It looks like a young Sauternes", the stockbroker opined. In the nose and mouth, honey/vanilla over sweet, well-ripened honeydew melon, Anjou pear and citrus fruits. "Some pineapple" as well, noted the doctor. After around half an hour, some hints of green apple surfaced, and, later still, discreet butterscotch. Then, mid-mouth and to the back, cold limestone notes reminiscent of fine Chablis emerged. The wine was absolutely rich, superbly rounded, mouth-filling, its many layers of flavors virtually seamless, all the way to the back into the long, long buttery finish. Simply amazing. One can source this in the USA over the internet. A quick resort to Google reveals that Rancho Cellars Wine Merchants offers it at US$1,124.95 per bottle. Other sites offer it at around US$1500 and above.  |
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