A Guide to Domaine de la Romanée-Conti

Introduction to Domaine de la Romanée-Conti

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, known as DRC, is in Burgundy’s Côte de Nuits and ranks among the world’s most revered wine estates. Its wines are known for weight, complexity and longevity and regularly appear among lists of the world’s 50 most expensive wines. The most expensive is Romanée-Conti, of which only about 6,000 bottles are produced each year—less than 1/50 of Lafite’s output. In Robert Parker’s ratings, every Romanée-Conti vintage scored above 90 points, with the 2005 receiving 99 to 100 points.

DRC’s Revered Standing

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, abbreviated DRC, is Burgundy’s most famous estate and occupies an almost sacred place for wine lovers worldwide. It holds some of the Côte de Nuits’ most prized grand cru parcels, including its flagship monopole Romanée-Conti, one of the world’s most expensive wines, and its other monopole, La Tâche.

DRC is distinctive not only for the rarity of its parcels but also for its exceptionally strict management philosophy. Its grands crus total less than 30 hectares and produce about 30,000 to 40,000 bottles a year, far fewer than comparable Bordeaux estates. Over the past 20 years, this scarcity has coincided with long-term auction-price growth and active demand at the top end of the collectible-wine market; that history does not predict the value of a specific bottle.

DRC’s Seven Grands Crus

The estate also leases 3 parcels in the Corton Grand Cru, totalling about 2.2746 hectares, from Domaine Prince Florent de Mérode. It owns a further 0.17 hectares in Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru, but that wine is not offered for public sale.

Biodynamic Viticulture and Winemaking Philosophy

DRC converted fully to organic farming in 1985 and adopted biodynamic viticulture (Biodynamie) in 1997. Vineyard work follows lunar cycles, the estate’s own horses plough the soil and its own compost nourishes it, with no chemical pesticides or synthetic fertilisers. These methods reduce yields but produce more concentrated fruit with a deeper expression of terroir.

In the cellar, DRC ages Romanée-Conti and La Tâche in 100% new oak, without filtration or fining, preserving as much of the wine’s original texture as possible. Every step follows a minimum-intervention principle intended to let the site speak for itself.

Key Vintages and Collecting Guidance

Benchmark vintages: 1945, 1959, 1978, 1990 and 2005. Romanée-Conti from these vintages can exceed HK$1 million per bottle at major auctions and appears only rarely on the market.

Widely collected vintages: 1999, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016 and 2019. Their quality is widely recognised, availability is more practical, and these vintages are frequently held by institutional and private collectors.

Vintages in their drinking window: 2002, 2007 and 2012. The wines are sound but approaching their mature peak, making them suitable for drinking or sale within the current window.

Even less celebrated DRC vintages may attract buyback demand when condition is good and provenance is clear; interest still varies by wine, vintage and market.

Related Buyback Services and Information

Dibao Wine provides specialist buyback services for the full DRC grand cru range. See the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti buyback page. We have also compiled several DRC buyback case studies. For quotations by grand cru, see: Romanée-Conti, La Tâche, and Richebourg.