Domaine de la Romanée-Conti sits at the centre of Vosne-Romanée and at the summit of fine wine. Two things make it unique: an unequalled collection of grands crus and a work ethic that treats each vine like an heirloom. The result isn’t just rarity; it’s a signature — perfume, precision, and a quiet intensity that lingers for minutes.
The story stretches from medieval vineyard ledgers to the 18th-century Prince de Conti (whose name the domaine bears), and on to today’s co-stewards from the de Villaine and Leroy/Fenal families. Continuity is the point. Old vines are renewed by massale selection from the domaine’s own best plants; parcels are farmed organically (with biodynamic practices across the holdings); yields are kept painfully low; every decision is about clarity of site rather than force of style.
The vineyard mosaic is unmatched: La Romanée-Conti and La Tâche (both monopoles), plus Richebourg, Romanée-Saint-Vivant, Grands Échézeaux and Échézeaux. There is also a sliver of Montrachet. In recent years the domaine added Corton (red, 2009–2015) and introduced a Corton-Charlemagne from high, chalky slopes — proof that even at the very top, the canvas can still expand if the terroir speaks loudly enough.
Winemaking is deceptively simple and obsessively precise. Whole clusters are used generously (often a very high proportion), fermentations proceed with native yeasts, extractions are gentle, and élevage runs about 18 months in 100% new, fine-grained French oak. There’s minimal racking, bottling without filtration, and an almost monastic patience. Vintage dictates the tempo; the cellar simply sets it to music.
What sets DRC apart in the glass isn’t weight. It’s line and lift. Young bottles can be diaphanous yet authoritative: rose, peony and red berry woven with spice, tea leaf, forest floor and a Vosne “incense” that feels more like a place than a flavour. With time, the wines don’t get bigger; they get deeper — silken textures, savoury undertones, and a finish that resolves like a chord.
Numbers tell the rest of the story. La Romanée-Conti itself is barely 1.8 hectares; La Tâche just over six. Even the “larger” crus are small by any rational standard. That scarcity is real, but it’s not the point. The point is that every bottle is a conversation between an ancient slope and a meticulous team, repeated vintage after vintage with almost ritual care.
DRC remains the benchmark for Pinot Noir (and in tiny quantities, Chardonnay) not because it is expensive, but because it is consistent in the only currency that matters: authenticity of place. In a world that loves noise, these wines whisper — and carry.
