Questions? call 866.909.WINE or email ben@cellaraiders.com
Questions? call 866.909.WINE or email ben@cellaraiders.com
Domaine de la Romanee-Conti is arguably the most important vineyard in the world. Located in the Burgundy region of France, its nearly 800-year history is full of political intrigue, royal scandal, criminal plots, and plenty of mystery—all swirling around the most exclusive wine on the market.
Below, we’ll give you a peek at the fascinating history of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti. And, we’ll tell you how to find a bottle for your collection.
The story of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti began in the 13th century, when the vineyard was operated by the local monastery, The Abbey of Saint Vivant in Vosne. The vines are thought to have been cultivated by the Romans before that, giving them their name of “Romanée.”
At this time, the vineyard was only a fraction of the size it is now. In the 1600s, it passed into the hands of the Croonembourge family, who also expanded it by purchasing the land known as La Tâche (from which DRC’s famed La Tâche wine takes its name).
In the 1700s, the vineyard was bought by the arrogant Prince of Conti. Not only did he add his name to the land and the wine it produced, but he also refused to share a single bottle of the Romanee-Conti vintages—even with close friends and family.
Since the mid 1800s, the Duvault-Blochet family has been operating the winery. They purchased additional lands that make up the current eight vineyards owned by DRC and transformed the business into the world-renowned winery it is today.
Though the original 4.5 acres, cultivated by the French monks and Romans before them, still produces the winery’s most prized wine—the Romanée-Conti.
Domaine de la Romanee-Conti’s vineyards are located on some of the best wine-producing land in the world. Not only are all of their wines designated Grand Cru, but their vineyards are UNESCO world heritage sites.
Combine this with the history and prestige of this winery, and you can imagine why the wine is in such high demand.
Unfortunately, Domaine de la Romanee-Conti produces only 6000 cases of wine per year, sending the demand to astronomical heights.
Domaine de la Romanee-Conti has set the record twice for the most expensive wines sold at auction. Two bottles of the 1945 vintage (an especially limited vintage, for obvious reasons) sold for $496,000 and $558,000 in 2018.
Even new vintages will cost a pretty penny. The “cheapest,” the Echézeaux, will cost you over $2,500. The famed Romanée-Conti goes for just over $21,000 a bottle.
You can find recent and collectible vintages of DRC wine for below-retail prices at cellaraiders.com.
Here is an overview of the wines produced by DRC:
Romanée-Conti
Variety: Pinot Noir
Annual Production: 1,150 cases
Price: ~$21,000
La Tâche
Variety: Pinot Noir
Annual Production: 1,870 cases
Price: ~$5,200
Richebourg
Variety: Pinot Noir
Annual Production: 1000 cases
Price: ~$3600
Romanée-St-Vivant
Variety: Pinot Noir
Annual Production: 1500 cases
Price: ~$3000
Grands Échezeaux
Variety: Pinot Noir
Annual Production: 1,150 cases
Price: ~$2800
Échezeaux
Variety: Pinot Noir
Annual Production: 1,340 cases
Price: ~$2500
Montrachet
Variety: Chardonnay
Annual Production: 250 cases
Price: ~$8600
The most popular vintage from DRC is undoubtedly the 1945 Romanée-Conti. This vintage has reached a near-mythical status in the wine world and has been described as “timeless perfection” of the gods.
Unfortunately, a bottle will likely cost you half a million dollars—and that’s if you can find one. But don’t worry, more recent vintages of the Romanée-Conti are also among the highest-rated in the winery’s long history, including 2015, 2018, and 2019 bottles. These also cost significantly less.
Other notable vintages from DRC include:
Shop Domaine de la Romanee-Conti wine in these vintages and more here.
Wine of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti is some of the most counterfeited in the world, as it catches an incredibly high price.
Luckily, it’s not hard to spot a fake with a little help from history.
The winery has used a variety of different labels, bottles, serial numbers, and importers over the years. Before buying a bottle, ensure that every detail of the label and the bottle is historically accurate.
For example, certain vintages of La Tâche feature the spelling of the wine with the circumflex accent (^) and others do not.
Details like this can be a dead giveaway. But you need to study the vintage.
Unfortunately, forgeries will only get harder to recognize now that the demand for DRC wine is growing among rich buyers in Asia. If you’re looking for a rare vintage, it’s worth consulting an expert before buying.
Or, you can shop DRC wine at Cellaraiders for guaranteed authenticity. We enlist experts to verify each bottle of our fine wines before we list them, so you can grow your collection with confidence.
DRC wines are some of the most difficult to purchase. Only 6000 cases are produced per year, so the supply is highly limited and the demand is skyrocketing. It’s also very difficult to tour the winery or buy wine on-site unless you’re a serious VIP with a reservation.
The most famous vintages are sold at auction by Sotheby’s and Christie’s. But private sellers often list their bottles for lower prices online. Bottles of DRC are scattered across the web, though most sellers are not reliable.
Cellaraiders is a better way to buy DRC wine. We never list bottles direct from private sellers. We buy the wine ourselves, verify it, and list it when we know it’s legit. We update our stock in real-time and sell bottles for affordable, flat-rate prices—no price hikes or auctions.
At the moment, Cellaraiders has several bottles of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti wine on sale. Browse them here.
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