Romanee St. Vivant - DRC

Ok, hear us out. We know that Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s Romanée-St-Vivant may not get quite the same attention as their other top wines, like La Romanee-Conti or La Tache. However, it would be a grave mistake to pass them over and here’s why –

This wine is among the freshest and purest in the DRC roster and is deeply enjoyable to drink. With succulent red fruit, silky tannins, perfumed florals, and a complex underlying spice, Romanée-St-Vivant is an intriguing and versatile Pinot Noir. It’s also one of the few wines from this producer that can be drunk either young or old and provides excellent value for the price.

Part of what makes DRC’s RSV so compelling is that it showcases its unique terroir beautifully. There are just seven producers in this area, and DRC owns more than half of the land. What sets Romanée-St-Vivant apart from other terroirs in the Vosne-Romanée area is its rich clay soil. Because the vineyard is located on a hill, rainfall slowly shifts clay deposits down the slope over time. This dense clay retains water and keeps the soil cool. As a result, grapes tend to grow slowly in this type of soil and develop fresh acidity. By comparison, other vineyards in this area, particularly those at higher elevations, have more limestone in the soil, which is fast-draining and produces more concentrated, powerful wines.

This is why, when you compare Romanée-St-Vivant to other DRC wines, you’ll find it is notably fresher and more delicate. The price point of entry seems reasonable when compared to their others, and the drinking experience these wines deliver is up there with the best! Just look at these scores!

Today we have an incredible collection of St. Vivant to share with you, and these bottles are absolutely pristine! (see photo above). Wines marked as "pre arrival" will arrive in 10-14 days. 

“These wines are the very picture of harmony; they’re complex yet pure, and light on the palate yet dense in flavor.”

2001 RSV

This displays a positively classic nose of soaring Asian spices, ripe plum and a gamut of ripe, pure and lacy red and black fruits with the latter predominating all wrapped together with a seductive kiss of sweetly scented, highly perfumed violets; the nose is, in a word, intoxicating. All of this aromatic intensity leads to remarkably powerful, linear and still taut flavors that show simply unbelievable complexity and stunning length. This will very likely surpass every other RSV from the Domaine in recent memory from a sheer aromatics perspective as the nose really is dazzling. For my taste this has just about arrived at the front end of its peak drinkability though it should hold easily for years to come. Consistent notes save for one bottle that seemed a bit edgy and drying and not at all like what I have described above

96 Pts Allen Meadows

2005 RSV

An incredibly perfumed and supremely elegant if notably ripe nose features notes of various black fruit scents that are replete with soy, hoisin, clove and anise nuances. There is outstanding power and richness to the refined, detailed and still quite firmly structured flavors that culminate in a precise, pure and driving finish that goes on and on. This is a really impressive effort that offers terrific potential but fans of this wine should note that it is arguably more masculine than it usually is yet at the same time utterly seamless. In sum this is arguably the finest RSV that the Domaine has ever produced though one that is indisputably going to require extended aging. Tasted twice in 2019 with similar notes.

97 Pts Allen Meadows

2009 RSV

The 2009 Romanee St.Vivant is wonderfully complete. The combination of power and elegance is breathtaking as layers of fruit flow across the palate in stunning style. Hard candy, flowers, mint and dark red berries build to the dramatic, explosive finish. In 2009 the Romanee St. Vivant is a wine of considerable volume and textural depth, but it will require a good many years for those qualities to come through fully.

97 Pts Antonio Galloni

2010 RSV

The 2010 Romanee St. Vivant is dazzling. An exotic mosaic of sweet spices, red berries, dried flowers and mint bursts onto the palate in this viscerally thrilling, captivating Romanee St. Vivant. The 2010 is notable for so many attributes, but one that stands out is the sheer beauty and texture of the breathtaking finish.

97 Pts Robert Parker

2012 RSV

An intense, almost exotic wine, the 2012 Romanée St.-Vivant takes the elements that make RSV such a distinctive site and simply amplifies all of them. Dense and yet also seamless on the palate, the 2012 RSV will need considerable time to shed its baby fat, but it is impressive just the same.

97 Pts Antonio Galloni