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Day Two for our Tilson weekend was actually at John’s home, a beautiful sanctuary in Montecito, far away from Meghan and Harry lol.  When I walked in the front door, I could feel the fine wine energy seeping through the walls and floors.  Who’s afraid of seepage?  Not me!  The day was beautiful, the view was magical, and the wines were of an extra-terrestrial nature.  This was to be a DRC day, and the youngest wine would be from 1978.

The 1978 DRC Richebourg was perfection.  The ‘78 was also served out of magnum.  It had an incredible nose, even better than the bottle I had the Thursday prior.  Is that too douchey lol…just the facts!!!  It had all the classic elements of mint, menthol, iron, blood, forest, ceramics and rose wrapped, as complexly as possible.  Its fruit was special, and the ceramic flavors were unreal.  This was at maturity but still young, endlessly plateauing in a pool of perfection.  What a superb start – quite the liftoff (99M)! 

There were more Richebourgs…and friends 😊 The 1971 DRC Grands Echezeaux was another thrilling nose with great balance of fruit and meat.  There was more purple fruit here along with a dustier personality, and a touch of fuzzy goodness to its smooth, lovely and rusty finish.  This bottle was a touch drier than the ‘78 Riche (96).

The 1971 DRC Richebourg had a deep nose, ‘better than the ‘78 magnum,’ noted one.  It was sweeter with more menthol and orange citrus flavors with the perfect rust and iron components.  This was a meaty and saucy red that hit the highest of notes with its cut and freshness.  It had a finish that lifted way up there; its acid, leather and lift were truly remarkable and as good as it gets (99).

The 1971 DRC Romanee Conti didn’t disappoint either.  This was clearly the most concentrated and deepest with a more brothy and soupy edge.  Its exotic fruit had all the colors – red, purple, black and even blue, and there was great bricking to its flavors.  This was a perfect bottle that oozed oil and the richness that followed.  This was another perfect bottle; they just kept coming!  This super smacker had a kiss of celery soda to go with its oily concentration (99).

It was time for another flight, and we took a trip almost two decades away.  Starting in the 1950s, you start to see the mature and savory side of great Burgundy, and the 1953 DRC Richebourg delivered that leather and brown sugar goodness with a kinky, salty spice.  So rich and so sweet!  Someone remarked that the 1953 was a peacock and the 1952 a sparrow.  That’s coming!  The 1953 was truly divine, with more body than even the ’71 in a fat and juicy way.  There were lots of brown sugar flavors to this kinky, sweet and mature Pinot (98).

The 1952 DRC Richebourg was more mature and gamier with lots of animal and earth components; this was certainly the cat’s meow!  Its palate was fleshy, earthy, gamey and long.  The animal kept creeping, and its maturity translated into wisdom.  While not quite the bottle that the 1953 was, the ’52 grew on me in that great mushroomy way (97). 

The 1949 DRC Richebourg was the most delicate of these vintages but still had unreal texture and a long and sensual finish.  This was flirting with oxidation, but it wasn’t over the hill.  It just needed a cane and had to walk slowly!  It also had great richness and flesh and really came out in the glass after we were able to blow the cobwebs away.  The texture was unreal, and it ultimately proved to be a strong, long and sensual wine (96).

There was ultimately a younger 1991 DRC Richebourg served instead of a corked 1945 (aaarrrggghhh!).  On any normal day, this wine would be considered amazing, but in the presence of these senior statesmen, the 1991 seemed like a child.  It showed so young by comparison, and for many Burgundy lovers this is already considered old!  Go figure.  The ’91 was a bit milky and ‘out of its element,’ one sagely surmised.  It was deep and interesting but primary by comparison.  There was more intensity to its t ‘n a but still a baby, and earthy on its finish.  Great old bottles remain undefeated (95+)!

Man cannot live on Richebourg alone.  We returned to 1952, but this time it was a 1952 DRC La Tache, and it was also served out of magnum.   The 1952 shined with its sappy and concentrated fruit.  It had a similar style to the Richebourg with more elegance and reserve.  There were animal, bouillon, and black tea flavors, all in an elegant way, and a long, stylish and sensual finish.  This was another outstanding DRC from the fifties (96M).

The 1966 DRC La Tache was also served out of magnum, but it was earthy and dirty in a chocolate tootsie pop way with some secondary garden goodness.  There was some freshness and a citrus twist, but the wine stayed dirty.  Truthfully, I have never been a huge fan of this vintage for DRC given its usual greatness (93M).

There were four more La Taches, and three from the forties, but we started with a 1962 DRC La Tache.  There were no wrong answers and only thrills for every smell and sip of them all.  The 1962 was in that perfect spot of youth meets maturity, gently plateauing with endless acidity and elegance.  It really bridged the gap between all the ‘70s and ‘50s we had already sampled.  There was great Christmas and gingerbread spice to it.  There was also great meat, menthol, mint, tea, spice, and all types of fruit.  Its mint and menthol really stood out, as did its endless acidity and elegance.  There were nuances of tea and leaf on its finish.  The wine just dripped – with everything whether it was sauce or jewels or juicy greatness.  The 1962 La Tache still has it all (98).

The 1949 DRC La Tache saw that extra kiss of oxidation again.  There were hints of game and musk, but the wine was defined by this nutty, island-style complexity – dates!  That was it.  There was some soy saucy goodness, and it still had good richness.  It was ‘an exotic, hot vintage,’ said one guest, and it had the great gyro meat drippings to match lol.  However, I couldn’t help but think this wine would have been best ten or twenty years earlier (95).

The 1947 DRC La Tache was on that brothy and bouillon-y side, also displaying some exotic coconut.  It was richer and more sensual than the ’49, creamy and concentrated on the palate with more coconut.  I wrote that the lesson is that generally 50-60 years if the best window for great Burgundy; in other words, while these wines from the forties were still outstanding and great to try, my memories of bottles here and there from twenty years ago proved more thrilling.  Its palate was beefy, almost heavy, with a honeyed finish.  It was right there on the 95/96 border (95+).

There was one more wine to this historical flight, that being a 1945 DRC La Tache.  This is a legendary vintage for DRC, Burgundy and the world, and this bottle delivered more freshness than its previous two counterparts.  There were lots of red cranberry fruits and citrus smack to its nose.  I wondered whether it was possibly reconditioned at some point, as it had that edge to it.  There was a subtle, smoky edge to it and great minerality, but it had a hint of ‘simpler’ to it despite the freshness.  It got creamier and fleshier in the glass, becoming lip-smacking.  It opened up quite nicely in the glass (96). 

There was one more flight, a grand finale to the grandest of DRC tastings.  There were two magnums, and they showed what a difference large formats make over time.  I had previously commented how the bottles from the 40s and 50s were in that savory phase, and how I felt the 1962 was the peak of the balance between youth and maturity.  These magnums recalibrated the equation.  The 1938 DRC Echezeaux magnum made me write ‘hey baby,’ but then we both got serious thanks to its great mint and smoke qualities.  It was a bit grapy but not in a bad way.  It was also spicy in a fun way.  It got more brawny over time, but it was 85 years old.  And the fill was a touch low, but it didn’t matter.  It was still special stuff, especially given the lower fill (95M). 

The 1938 DRC La Tache magnum was my WOTD along with the 62…and some 71s…and those 53 and 78 Riches, but I digress.  If I had to pick one, it would be this magnum.  This was another ‘sex machine’ wine – JK the III’s new favorite term lol.  Its brightness was insane for its age.  This was like driving through menthol city in a citrus Phantom.  It was so long, unfurling with each sip.  ‘MAGNIFICENT,’ I wrote in all caps.  It maintained its spicy goodness on the palate and was so vimful.  Its brightness shined to the last sip, and it also stayed clean the whole time.  I wish I had more of that time with this wine that I will likely never try again, especially out of magnum.  What a thrill (99M).

The whole afternoon was what a thrill!  Many thanks to John Tilson for opening up his cellar and home for this incredible weekend.  If you ever get invited to his home, my advice is to accept immediately!  The weekend will be one of those tastings that stays with me for the rest of my life, and that’s what Vintage Tastings, the Wine Workshop and Acker are all about.  It’s been a nice 25 year run, and here’s to the next 25!  And here’s to the next eight articles, I know I owe you some more to make an official Top Ten for 2023!