x
  • Country ranking ?

    1 093
  • Producer ranking ?

    210
  • Decanting time

    3h
  • When to drink

    now to 2040
  • Food Pairing

    Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese

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Wine Advocate | Rating: 90

PRODUCTION: 1,624 cases. A brilliant wine from cask, the 1985 La Tache remains expansive and fragrant, but bottle age appears to have given the wine more delicacy and lightness. The color is an extremely light ruby, with no signs of age. The nose offers up gobs of sweet, overripe red and black fruits intertwined with smoky, toasty new oak. On the palate, there is sweet, jammy fruit, full body, a harmonious interaction of tannin, acidity, and fruit, and a luscious, silky-textured finish. Given my high praise for this wine, I would have hoped for more, but performances such as this are further proof that Burgundy is indeed the wine for free-spending masochists. This wine should continue to drink well for another 5-7 years, but it needs to be closely monitored given the fact that in 1995 it exhibits less weight and depth than I would have anticipated. Although it is unquestionably an outstanding wine, I had hoped for something riveting.

Author: Robert Parker

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The Story

Well-cared for vines, strictly controlled yields and as late as possible harvest produces an aromatic and opulent wine. Deeply coloured, La Tâche develops a palate of extraordinary aromas of dark fruits, truffle and spices.

Rich and concentrated, its bouquet releases infinite tones that melt in the mouth to form a lovely ensemble – always exceptional, even in the difficult vintages. Hence in 1950 and 1951, it was the only wine in the domaine that was bottled.

Like many other Burgundy properties, the parcel La Tâche was originally connected to a monastery. It was then owned by two different families, one of which was the Joly de Bévy, who were dispossessed during the Revolution.

Later owned by the Basire and then the Liger-Belair families, the remaining part of La Tâche was purchased by the emblematic Domaine de La Romanée-Conti in 1933, joining the other mythical crus of Grands-Échézeaux, Échézeaux and Richebourg. From this vintage, La Tâche, solely
owned by one single domaine, became a ‘Cru Monopole’.

It is of course rare, producing 20,000 bottles per year, and is highly sought after by wine connoisseurs around the world, particularly in Asia.

La Tâche remains more accessible in price than the iconic cru of the domaine, DRC, yet it is also regarded as an icon with legendary status.

Buying a bottle of La Tâche, even in a lesser vintage, not only provides an extraordinary pleasure when opening the wine, but, if not opened, will give a certain guarantee of a comfortable appreciation in the medium term.

 

Romanée-Conti lies on brown limestone soils 60 cm deep with a major clay component. Romanée-Saint-Vivant has similar but deeper (90 cm) soils. Higher up, La Romanée occupies a markedly sloping site (12%) and the soil texture is less clayey. La Tâche and La Grande Rue share brown limestone soils, rather shallow at the top end with deeper rendzinas lower down. The same is true for the Richebourg, depending on slope and aspect. The underlying rock is hard Premeaux limestone dating from the Jurassic (175 million years BC).

Lying between Flagey-Échezeaux (home of the ÉCHEZEAUX appellation) and Nuits-Saint-Georges, Vosne-Romanée occupies a middle position in the Côte de Nuits. The vines grow at altitudes of 250 to 310 metres and face east or, in some cases, slightly south of east. Vosne-Romanée, the central jewel in the necklace of appellations which is the burgundian côte, is not content with holding a mere four aces but boasts a total of six Grands Crus, each one famous the world over. A thousand years ago, it was the Cluniac monks of Saint-Vivant de Vergy and the Cistercians of Cîteaux who first realised the value of these very special plots of land.

One of these vineyards takes its name from Prince Conti who lost his heart to it in 1760. Romanée-Conti is one of the wonders ofthe world and has always been a singly-held entity. Next door to it, Romanée-Saint-Vivant recalls the medieval monastery of the Hautes-Côtes which is currently undergoing restoration and which is linked to it by its own path. La Romanée, La Tâche and La Grande Rue are also singly-held entities, as is Richebourg, whose mere name is enough to fill a glass.

These Grands Crus frequently give good results from long laying-down. As a general rule, they shouldn't be drunk under about ten years of age but sometimes they will be aged up to 20 or 30 years. Each appellation has its own distinct personality depending on its year of production and on the stage it has reached in its development. These flamboyant red wines fully express the subtlety and complexity of the Burgundian Pinot Noir grape. Their colour is a dark ruby turning crimson with age. Their wide-ranging bouquet is divided among small red and black fruits, violet, spices and, with time, underbrush. On the palate, this wine is well-defined with a powerful body. It is delicate, sensual, frank and full.

In addition to their powerful structure and exceptional longevity, these great wines develop tertiary aromas of truffle, underbrush, leather and fur. It goes without saying that strong-flavoured meats will do them justice : furred or feathered game, braised, in sauce, or simply grilled. Wild-fowl (eg Peking duck) or a nice cut of roast veal will be gently enveloped by the close-packed but elegant tannins of these mighty Pinot Noir wines.

Serving temperatures : 15 to 16 °C.

 

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Wine Information

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC) is Burgundy's most famous estate, producing all grand cru wines from 25 hectares of vines. The wines are made in extremely limited quantities and generate some of the highest prices on the market. DRC produces the grands crus Romanée-Conti, La Tâche, Richebourg, Romanée-Saint-Vivant, Grands Échezeaux, Échezeaux, and Montrachet, of which both Romanée Conti and La Tâche are monopoles.

Co-proprietor Aubert de Villaine has farmed the vineyards organically since 1986 and has adhered to traditional, natural winemaking practices. Only natural yeasts are used, and aging is done in 100% new oak. The wines are characterized by finesse, balance, and refinement. They clearly reflect a sense of place and have the ability to age while increasing in both character and value.

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Vintage 1985

1985 Burgundy by Clive Coates MW / The 1985 vintage represents a turning point in the wine history of Burgundy. Before this date, on the whole, winegrowers made wine, merchants bought it, assembled several plots, if necessary, and sold it. Subsequently, more and more estates began to mature, bottle and market the wines themselves. In the meantime, many merchants had taken the opportunity to expand their own estates, so that, particularly at the upper end, they were more or less self-sufficient. In the 1970s, and earlier, there were barely around twenty producers – we think of Rousseau, Dujac, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Gouges, Lafarge and Leflaive – who did not sell in bulk. Many of today's super-stars bottled only a token quantity and were unknown to even the most perceptive merchant or journalist.

The emergence of these new areas is transforming Burgundy. In a very short time, almost everyone who had a grand cru and many who had a good premier cru were bottling as much as they could themselves. There was, of course, the question of cash flow. If you sold to a merchant, you were paid in full at the time of the next vintage. If you sold in bottles, you didn't get the money until about two and a half years later, after bottling 18 months after harvest and possible shipping in winter thereafter. We would therefore not be able, unless we were otherwise financed, to move from bulk sales to bottled sales overnight. I remember the late Philippe Engel explaining to me that the transformation for him took ten years.

The process was encouraged by local residents. Burgundy is a generous wine region. Most growers are on very good terms with their neighbors and are only too happy to help if there is a problem. Naturally, the best ones have a queue of potential buyers waiting to step in if one of the regular customers falls through. What could be more natural for the important owner of the much sought-after estate than to recommend a hitherto unknown young neighbor who was looking for business. If he or she was a cousin or in-law, so much the better.

 

Moreover, the quality was improving, and by leaps and bounds. The best growers went to Viti in Beaune then to the University of Dijon. Many left for a stopover in California or Australia, or elsewhere in France. Tasting each other’s wines with your neighbors has become commonplace. Firstly, selling your wine under your own label required you not to cut corners, which you might have been tempted to do if you were simply selling in bulk. Tasting your wine alongside those of your friends and reading a review of it in a wine magazine will soon tell you whether you are producing superior quality or not. Second, viticulture and viticulture techniques had become increasingly sophisticated. There has been a return to plowing and the elimination of herbicides and pesticides. The size of the harvest was taken into greater account. And finally the introduction of the sorting table: the greatest contribution to increasing quality of all. Today, everyone has a sorting table. The first time I saw it was Domaine de la Romanée-Conti when I was making a video in 1987. Finally, after a disappointing run of vintages in the 1970s and early 1980s, 1985 ushered in a series of high quality years that continues to this day. Burgundy has not had a bad vintage since 1984. Thirty years.

The consequence of all this is that it is increasingly difficult for everyone, not just the outside journalist, to keep up. Every year, new areas, worthy of exploration and waiting to be discovered. In 1985, I visited six estates in Gevry, four in Morey and Chambolle and perhaps eight in Vosne. Today I should visit 25 in Gevrey, and so on. A marathon for which I no longer have the energy. I am very lucky to have been there at the time and to have experienced what was an exciting time in Burgundy.

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Average Bottle Price

5790 4322 2015 2014 2013 2012 2010 2005
2 019€ +0.1% 2 017€ -33.3% 3 022€ +5.0% 2 877€ +13.1% 2 544€ -5.8% 2 700€ -9.4% 2 980€ +104.8% 1 455€

This data comes from the FINE Auction Index, a composite of average prices for wines sold at commercial auctions in 20 countries. The average prices from each year have been collected since 1990. This chart plots the index value of the average price of the wines.

Tasting note

color

Deep, Ruby red and Bright

ending

Smooth and Extensive

flavors

Smoky, Herbs, Cherry, Earthy, Plum and Truffles

nose

Intense, Complex, Seductive and Refined

recommend

Yes

taste

Average in Acidity, Warming, Medium tannin, Concentrated, Complex, Perfectly balanced, Youthful, Medium-bodied, Powerful, Ripe, Full and Silky tannins

Verdict

Fine and Well made

Written Notes

The 1985 DRC La Tache was smooth with clearly lots of acid and nice, mature autumnal edges.  There were lots of classic characteristics in this vintage, one that is holding onto its outstanding status but just barely, although large formats might disagree (95).

  • 95p
The 1985 was one of the first vintages when the young, dynamic and talented winemaker Hervé de Ferrer was responsible for the entire production at DRC (André Noblet passed away the same year). The harvesting started exceptionally late - on October 6th - at DRC. This was a whole week later than the region’s average. This courageous decision proved to be a successful one from the young winemaker. A fantastically stylish and multi-dimensional accomplishment. The bottle was in fine condition, the level being 2 cm. Decanted for two hours, this deep ruby-red, full-bodied wine is so well balanced that it is difficult to find any imperfection in it whatsoever. Powerful, explosive nose: herbaceous and earthy with ripe black cherry and smoke aromas and a sweet menthol-like edge. This a big mouthful, a giant of a wine. About as deep and complex as any burgundy we have ever experienced. The flavours are concentrated and expansive. Sweet and silky aftertaste. Aging gracefully, and drinking well now.
  • 98p

Poured from magnum, the 1985 La Tache is surprisingly paler in colour than I might have expected. The nose is very refined with touches of maraschino, limestone, strawberry preserve … the quintessential pure Pinot really. The palate is medium-bodied and perfectly balanced. This is an understated Grand Cru with filigree tannins and a refined finish with nuanced lapsang souchong embroidered on the finish. It is not La Tache that boldly goes out to prove itself. It is not the great ever produced. But it is an absolute masterclass in understatement.

  • 96p
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Information

Origin

Vosne-Romanée, Burgundy

Vintage Quality

Excellent

Value For Money

Very good

Investment potential

Excellent

Fake factory

None

Other wines from this producer

Bâtard-Montrachet

Corton-Charlemagne

Corton Grand Cru

Echézeaux

Grands Echézeaux

La Romanée-Conti Grand Cru

Les Gaudichots

Marc

Montrachet

Richebourg

Romanée Conti

Romanee Saint Vivant

Vosne Romanée

Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Cuvée Duvault Blochet

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