New Record: €482,000 for a 1945 Romanée-Conti

Record sale: €482,000 for Romanée Conti 1945

The domaine produced just 600 bottles in 1945. Here's a wine with such a prestigious reputation, not just in Burgundy, not just in France, but worldwide. As you can see, bottles of Romanée-Conti can be a real eye-opener in the sales room!

It was this October 14, 2018, that a bottle of Romanée-Conti Grand cru from the 1945 vintage went for the record price of €482,000, 558,000 in local dollars.

Tasting notes for Romanée-Conti

A blend of power and finesse, with explosive aromas and a complex mix of floral, spicy, mint, strawberry and wild cherry flavors. The "Romanée-Conti grand cru" display a sweetness not evident in the estate's other reds, with a silky texture and astonishing harmony, all underpinned by refined tannins. Of course, it all depends on the vintage and the bottle's storage conditions.

 

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Introducing Domaine de La Romanée-Conti

The wines of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (RDC), located around the village of Vosne-Romanée, are the most revered in Burgundy.

The estate's lands have been gradually developed since 1232, when the Abbaye Saint-Vivant de Vosne acquired 1.8 hectares of vineyard. It was then renamed Romanée in 1631 by the de Croonembourg family, who extended their holding over a period of 130 years, before selling the property to the Prince de Conti, who named the vineyard Romanée-Conti.

Later owners acquired prime vineyards in Échézeaux, Grands Échézeaux, Richebourg and La Tâche. All the Domaine's vineyards are classified as Grand Cru, and produce predominantly rich, complex Pinot Noir wines that are also elegant and sublime. Clive Coates, Master of Wine, explains: "...this is the purest, most aristocratic, most intense example of Pinot Noir you can imagine." Montrachet, a highly sought-after white wine based on Chardonnay, is also produced.

Co-owned by the de Villaine and Leroy / Roch families, the estate is now run by Aubert de Villaine and Henri-Frederic Roch. The complex land ownership laws that still prevail in Burgundy (a relic of the Napoleonic era) mean that the de Villaine land is shared between ten family members, while the Leroy sisters each own 25% of their family's share.