In 900, Manassès, lord of Vergy from the Saint Vivant Priory, began cultivating the lands of Romanée Conti. The lands remained in the same family, which continued to expand the estate by purchasing neighboring plots. By 1512, the wines from the former Romanée Conti were being called ‘Cloux de Saint Vivant.’ In 1584, the estate was purchased by Claude Cousin, who passed it on to his nephew Germain Danon upon his death. In 1621, Jacques Venot bought the land and left it to his daughter and her husband. In 1651, the estate was called ‘Romanée’ for the first time. From 1760, the estate came under the ownership of His Serene Highness Louis François de Bourbon, Prince of Conti, who expanded both the size of the estate and its winemaking techniques.

His son, Louis François Joseph, Prince of Conti, inherited the land in 1776. During the French Revolution, the estate was seized and left unused. In 1794, it was renamed ‘Romanée Conti’ and bought by Nicolas Defer de la Noverre. He sold his shares of the estate to Julien Jules Ouvrard in 1819. In 1869, Jacques Marie Duvault Blochet acquired the estate. Today, the estate is still owned by the family and co-managed by Aubert de Villaine and Henri Frédéric Roch. The estate covers 25.5 hectares, making it one of the largest vineyards in Burgundy. The Domaine Romanée Conti, also known as DRC, grows Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Blanc.

The DRC has developed 8 Grand Cru AOCs: Romanée Conti (Pinot Noir), La Tâche (Pinot Noir), Richebourg (Pinot Noir), Romanée Saint-Vivant (Pinot Noir), Grand Echezeaux (Pinot Noir), Echezeaux (Pinot Noir), Montrachet (Chardonnay), and Corton (Pinot Noir for the red AOC and Chardonnay for the white AOC). As a wine of excellence, Romanée Conti wines are renowned worldwide. Enthusiasts and top restaurants globally pre-order bottles at high prices. Last year, in 2015, the Romanée Conti Grand Cru was ranked the second most expensive bottle in the world (averaging €12,169). Domaine Romanée Conti (DRC) wines frequently set records at auctions, with some auction houses even organizing special ‘Romanée Conti’ sales. We often have the opportunity to offer Romanée Conti bottles for sale.

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