Domaine de la Romanée-Conti

Why we follow Domaine de la Romanée-Conti

The estate

The most storied estate in wine. Its vineyards trace back to the thirteenth-century monks of Saint-Vivant, and La Romanée took the Conti name after the Prince de Conti bought it in 1760. The Société Civile in its present form dates to 1869, and ownership is split evenly between the de Villaine and Leroy families. Aubert de Villaine, who ran the domaine for forty-eight years, stepped back to an advisory role on 1 January 2022. It is now co-directed by his nephew Bertrand de Villaine, at the estate since 2008, and Perrine Fenal, daughter of Lalou Bize-Leroy.

The vineyards

Around twenty-five hectares, essentially all of it grand cru. Two monopoles anchor the estate: Romanée-Conti at 1.81 hectares and La Tâche at approximately six. Beyond them sit Richebourg, Romanée-St-Vivant, Grands-Échezeaux, Échezeaux, Corton (assembled from three Aloxe climats) and Le Montrachet. Since November 2018 the domaine has also leased 2.8 hectares of Corton-Charlemagne from Bonneau du Martray, with the first harvest in 2019, adding a second white to the range.

In the glass

Organic and biodynamic farming, one hundred per cent whole-bunch fermentation, one hundred per cent new oak, native yeasts, gentle extraction and long ageing. For all the power of the oak regime, the house is chasing transparency rather than force: each wine should taste of its own patch of ground. La Tâche, at six hectares, gives the winemakers room to select; in difficult vintages it can outshine the smaller Romanée-Conti. Échezeaux and Corton are the wines in the range that over-deliver against their price. The wines are sold as assortment cases rather than individually, in formats from six to twelve bottles, with the composition varying by release. That system exists partly to spread the monopoles fairly and partly to control provenance, which matters: DRC is the most counterfeited wine in the world.

With Lamont’s

Offered through the Private Cellar Selection, generally following the October release. Register your interest and we will contact you when the next allocation is confirmed.