Domaine de La Romanée-Conti
Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru (Marey-Monge)
Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru
2019
Vintage
Varietal
Pinot Noir
Where it is, September 2026
At Peak: inside the peak window (2022-2054), within the full drinking arc.
In 2026 this 2019 Romanee-Saint-Vivant sits in early peak. The drinking window opened in 2020 and the long plateau runs from 2022 to 2054, with hard decline not arriving until 2067. That leaves a very long runway in front of the bottle: you can pull a cork now and meet a wine already perfumed and expressive, or hold for two or three decades and watch the red fruit settle into deeper, more savory territory. With acidity at 8 and tannin only at 5, the structural spine that carries it forward is built from freshness rather than grip, so there is no urgency to drink and no penalty for patience over the next several years.
More wines like this
The ‘19 Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru (Marey-Monge).
DRC's 2019 Romanee-Saint-Vivant: a silk-boned, high-acid Vosne grand cru entering early peak with decades of runway ahead.
Cellared Ageability Index (CAI) drinking timeline
Storage and bottle condition can shift the experience.
The peak window sits inside the broader full drinking arc.
Tasting note
This is a study in lift rather than weight. On the palate the wine is medium-bodied, scoring 5 for body, so it stays satiny and weightless rather than broad, gliding across the tongue instead of filling it. The tannins are fine-boned and supple at 5, present only as a faint chalky frame that shapes the finish without ever clamping down. What drives the wine is its acidity, a bright 8 that keeps the red fruit vivid and the whole structure taut and lifted from attack to close. The finish is long, penetrating and pure, the silk-fine tannins and high acid carrying that raspberry and rose-petal signature well past the swallow. It is a wine of tension and transparency, where freshness, not power, is the organizing principle.
The 2019 vintage
2019 was among the warmest years of the past century in Burgundy, and the Cote de Nuits saw a hot, dry summer punctuated by two short blasts of extreme heat at the end of June and the end of July. Crucially, there was enough water to keep the vines from severe drought stress, so the heat concentrated the fruit without shutting it down. In the week before the September equinox a north wind passed through the Cote de Nuits and concentrated the grapes further. The result was a set of reds with intense fruit and firm structure that, unusually for a hot year, held on to their acidity rather than seeing it plummet.
About Domaine de La Romanée-Conti
Domaine de la Romanee-Conti farms the Marey-Monge parcel that makes up the majority of Romanee-Saint-Vivant, vines the estate leased from 1966 and purchased in 1986. The domaine has farmed biodynamically across its holdings since 2007, and in 2019 vinified this cuvee with roughly 80% whole clusters, slightly less than its other grands crus. That whole-bunch, stem-inclusive approach feeds the wine's floral and spiced lift and its fine-grained structure.
From the cellar: pair with
Roast squab with cherry jus
The wine's medium body at 5 and silk-fine tannins at 5 sit alongside delicate game without overwhelming it, while its acidity of 8 cuts the richness of the jus and echoes the bottle's own red-cherry note.
Mushroom and tarragon risotto
With light-medium body and low tannin, the wine partners earthy, savory dishes rather than fighting them, and its bright acidity at 8 lifts the creamy risotto and keeps each bite fresh and clean.
Seared duck breast with beetroot
The high acidity of 8 slices through duck fat, the gentle tannins at 5 stay supple against the lean meat, and the wine's medium frame at 5 matches the earthy beetroot without burying its floral perfume.
Service & cellaring
- Serving Temp
- 60-64F (16-18C)
- Decanting
- Decant 30 to 60 minutes ahead, or simply pour into large Burgundy bowls. This is a delicate, high-acid, low-tannin wine, so the goal is gentle aeration to coax out the raspberry, rose-petal and bergamot perfume, not aggressive splashing that would scatter its fine aromatics. A slow open in the glass over an hour rewards patience.
- Cellar Storage
- 55F (13C), 60-70% humidity, bottle on its side.
More from Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru
Frequently Asked
When should I drink the 2019 Romanee-Saint-Vivant?
The canonical CAI full drinking arc is 2020-2067. Within that arc, the peak window is 2022-2054. The full arc is the broader period the wine may drink well; the peak window is when it is most likely to show its best balance. Storage, fill level, cork condition, and preference can shift the decision. Taste before adding more air or holding the rest.
Should I decant this wine?
Yes, but gently. Give it 30 to 60 minutes in a decanter or open it in large Burgundy bowls. Because the tannins are soft and the aromatics delicate, you want light aeration to lift the raspberry, rose-petal and bergamot notes, not vigorous handling that scatters them.
What food pairs best with it?
Lean toward delicate, savory plates: roast squab with cherry jus, mushroom and tarragon risotto, or seared duck with beetroot. Its high acidity cuts richness and its light-medium body and soft tannins complement rather than overpower refined dishes.
Can I keep cellaring it, or should I hold?
You can hold with confidence. Stored at 55F (13C) on its side, this wine has a very long runway, with a peak plateau through 2054 and decline only from 2067. Its bright acidity is the structural spine that carries it forward for decades, so there is no rush.
What should I open next in a similar style?
For more silk-boned, high-acid Pinot Noir, explore the Burgundy cellar guide and our Pinot Noir wines. For a comparable Vosne-Romanee grand cru bottling, see the 2012 Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair Vosne-Romanee Clos du Chateau Monopole.