Domaine de la Romanée-Conti: A Deep Dive
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti — universally known as DRC — sits in Vosne-Romanée on the Côte de Nuits. It is the single most legendary estate in wine. Its holdings are tiny, its prices astronomical, and its presence in any wine list is a statement on the part of the restaurant.
The holdings
DRC owns or co-manages seven grand cru parcels:
- Romanée-Conti (monopole, 1.8 hectares)
- La Tâche (monopole, 6.06 hectares)
- Richebourg (3.51 hectares)
- Romanée-Saint-Vivant (5.29 hectares)
- Grands-Échezeaux (3.53 hectares)
- Échezeaux (4.67 hectares)
- Montrachet (0.67 hectares — the white)
- Corton (since 2009)
All in Vosne-Romanée except Montrachet and Corton.
Ownership
DRC is owned jointly by two families — de Villaine and Leroy/Roch. After Lalou Bize-Leroy left the directorship in 1992 (to focus on her own Domaine Leroy), Aubert de Villaine ran the estate until 2024; his nephew Bertrand de Villaine and Henry-Frédéric Roch took over, with Roch handling viticulture.
Viticulture
DRC has been certified biodynamic since 2007. Vineyards are ploughed by horse; harvest is by hand at low yields; the wines are unfiltered. The estate uses 100% new oak only for Romanée-Conti and La Tâche; the others see proportionally less.
The wines
A typical DRC release includes around 6,000 bottles of Romanée-Conti, 17,000 of La Tâche, 12,000 of Richebourg, 16,000 of Romanée-Saint-Vivant, 11,000 of Grands-Échezeaux, 16,000 of Échezeaux, and 3,000 of Montrachet. The estate sells in cases of 13 or 14 bottles — one of each wine.
Prices
A single bottle of Romanée-Conti can fetch 20,000-40,000 euros at auction. The 1990 vintage of Romanée-Conti is among the most expensive standard-sized bottles ever sold; older vintages (1945, 1937) trade for far more.
Visiting
DRC does not accept casual visitors. Even trade visits are rare and strictly by referral. The estate's modest gate in Vosne-Romanée village is well known to pilgrims; the famous stone cross at the top of the Romanée-Conti monopole is the closest most visitors will get.
Explore on the map
Find DRC's parcels on the interactive map. Filter to Burgundy, zoom to Vosne-Romanée, and walk the climat — the stone cross above the village is the pilgrimage point.