Anonymised Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Buyback Scenarios

Anonymised Dibao Wine DRC Buyback Scenarios

Owners may clear cellars before emigrating, discover an old bottle at home or choose to sell when market interest is strong. The following ten anonymised scenarios illustrate the inspection and transaction process; another bottle may receive a different valuation or outcome.

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Cases One to Five: Common Buyback Situations

1. Cellar Clearance Before Emigration: 1990 Romanée-Conti

A collector living in Mid-Levels was preparing to emigrate. The cellar contained a 1990 Romanée-Conti that had spent more than 20 years in a temperature-controlled cabinet. The fill was within 2cm and the label was clean.

Burgundy’s 1990 vintage is widely recognised as outstanding. Given the bottle’s condition and the high counterfeit risk, Dibao Wine sent its chief inspector to check base markings and the cork. No problem was found. The final quotation was 8% above that day’s Liv-ex average and payment was transferred the same day.

2. Unopened Original Case: 2009 DRC 12-Bottle Assortment

A finance-sector client had bought a 2009 DRC Assortment as part of an asset allocation. The original wooden case (OWC) had never been opened and contained the full grand cru assortment, including Romanée-Conti, La Tâche and Richebourg.

An unopened case offers the strongest evidence of integrity, but it cannot simply be opened casually. In the client’s presence, the case was opened carefully and every seal and serial number checked to confirm consistency with the original packaging. A complete assortment of this kind may attract a bulk premium, depending on packaging, provenance, condition and current demand.

3. An Old Bottle Found in a Cupboard: 1988 Romanée-Conti

While clearing her late father’s home, a woman found a bottle of 1988 Romanée-Conti at the back of a cupboard. She knew little about wine and was unsure whether it was authentic.

Physical inspection showed a good fill, although Hong Kong’s humidity had left mould spots and damage on the label. Many buyers heavily discount any label problem, but natural ageing on an old label is normal and value remains when the wine itself is sound. Dibao Wine quoted on the principle that the liquid’s condition outweighed appearance; the client said the result far exceeded her expectations.

4. Corporate Inventory: 2014 DRC Montrachet

A listed group had several bottles of DRC Montrachet left from corporate entertaining. Only about 3,000 bottles of this white wine are produced worldwide each year.

White wine is more vulnerable to light and heat than red, so the inspection focused on excessive oxidation in the colour—the normal colour should be golden—and on clarity. Once no issue was found, the purchase was settled by company-to-company bank transfer and a confidentiality agreement protected the client’s commercial privacy.

5. Large Format: 2015 La Tâche 1.5L Magnum

A Macau client urgently needed working capital and held a rare large-format 2015 La Tâche, a 1.5L magnum.

Large formats trade infrequently at auction and smaller buyers may be reluctant to take them. Dibao Wine’s global buyer network provided context for the format’s potential at major auctions. Cash was arranged within two hours and a representative travelled to Macau to complete the collection.

Cases Six to Ten: Handling Unusual Conditions

6. Suspected Seepage: 2004 Romanée-Conti

An air-conditioning failure affected part of a Causeway Bay wine shop’s inventory. One 2004 Romanée-Conti had a capsule that could rotate and dried wine stains on the neck, suggesting heat-related seepage.

This required careful judgement. The client was told plainly that seepage reduces ageing potential and requires a discount but does not make the bottle worthless. A light test showed that the remaining wine was clear, so it was quoted as a bottle for near-term drinking, allowing the client to recover much of the value.

7. A 1978 Richebourg in a Bank Safe-Deposit Box

An older industrialist had kept a 1978 Richebourg in a Central bank safe-deposit box for more than 30 years. The fill was slightly low at low shoulder, but the 1978 vintage itself was extremely rare.

The client did not want to remove the bottle from the bank, so the inspection team brought its equipment to the vault. Once the wine’s colour was confirmed as normal, the transaction was completed on site with a banker’s draft.

8. Selling a Recent Vintage: Full Loose-Bottle 2020 DRC Set

A young collector had won a DRC allocation lottery but wanted to redirect the capital to another investment. The complete 2020 DRC set was in like-new condition and accompanied by the original purchase invoice.

Although the recent vintage had not reached its drinking window, it retained collector interest. After verifying the purchase documents and provenance, the agreed price in that case was close to the prevailing retail level, allowing the client to release the capital quickly.

9. A Broken Cork in a 1999 Échezeaux

At a family gathering, a client tried to open a 1999 Échezeaux. The cork broke halfway through the extraction, and the capsule had been removed, but the cork had not fallen into the bottle and the wine remained uncontaminated.

The bottle could no longer be sold as a collectible and had to be treated as a wine for immediate drinking. After assessing that the seal remained sufficiently intact, Dibao Wine bought it at a drinking-bottle price, giving the client an alternative to forcing the bottle open or pouring it away.

10. A 50-Bottle Package: A Couple Moving to the United Kingdom

A couple preparing to move to the United Kingdom did not want the cost and risk of international cold-chain transport. Their cellar contained Romanée-Saint-Vivant, Grands Échezeaux, Lafite and Pétrus, about 50 bottles in total.

Dibao Wine provided a complete-cellar package. The team spent three hours counting every bottle, checking authenticity and recording fill levels, then issued a detailed Excel quotation. Once the total was confirmed, professional logistics cleared the cellar in one operation so the clients could leave Hong Kong with peace of mind.

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Conclusion

From a single iconic bottle to an entire cellar, and from perfect condition to flawed old wine, Dibao Wine can handle a range of situations. The service focuses on bottle-specific inspection, clearly explained quotations and private handling of client information, subject to operational and legal requirements; settlement timing is agreed for each transaction.

To learn more about DRC’s grands crus, see the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti guide. For buyback quotations by vintage, visit the DRC buyback page. For other questions, see the fine-wine buyback FAQs or contact us.