The 2019 Corton Grand Cru has turned out brilliantly in bottle, wafting from the glass with a striking bouquet of dark berries, blood orange, potpourri, exotic spices, cedar and peonies. Full-bodied, layered and velvety, it's deep and concentrated, with lively acids, supple tannins and a penetrating, rose-inflected finish. It's the best Corton that the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti has produced to date.

This was a particularly memorable tasting at the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. Revisiting the bottled 2019s was thrilling, as these are some of the most sensual, dramatic young wines I've ever tasted at this address; and the young 2020s, tasted from barrel (with the exception of several cuvées that had been recently racked), show immense potential too.

A few small evolutions have been made in the cellars in the last few years, with Tonnellerie La Grange increasingly in evidence alongside historically dominant François Frères on the red side of the ledger, and barrels from Séguin Morey, Damy and Taransaud to be found in the new room devoted to the domaine's white wines. Bottling is also a touch earlier than in the past.