Domaine de la Romanee Conti

The most renowned estate in Burgundy, perhaps in all France, the Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, has been the subject of entire books. The DRC, as it is referred to, is owned by the de Villaine and Leroy families and comprises parcels of seven vineyards, all of which are Grands Crus and all of which have been considered exemplary for centuries. These include one vineyard devoted to white wine, Le Montrachet, and six devoted to red, Romanee-Conti and La Tache(both of which are monopoles owned exclusively by the domaine), as well as Richebourg, Romanee St Vivant, Echezeaux, and Grands Echezeaux. Together these seven holdings make up just a little more than 62 acres of vines. Because the yields from these vineyards are kept extremely low, production is minuscule and prices astronomic. The entire production of Romanee Conti is mere 400 to 500 cases a year. This is about 1/100 the production of Ch. Lafite Rothschild in Bordeaux. As for cost, year in and year out the wines of the DRC are the most expensive in Burgundy. THe 1998 DRC cost $1100 a bottle.