Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti 2012

Lot 157
29.09.2022 00:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
£ 43 750
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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ID 812599
Lot 157 | Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti 2012
Estimate value
£ 35 000 – 55 000
DOMAINE DE LA ROMANÉE-CONTI

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti is widely considered to be among the world's greatest wine producers, and has, for many decades, been Burgundy’s most famous Domaine, known purely by the initials DRC. DRC bottles are among the worlds’ rarest, most renowned and most highly sought-after. It takes its name from the Domaine's most famous vineyard, Romanée-Conti Grand Cru. The boundaries of this vineyard were established back in the 16th century, and over time, its name changed from Cros des Cloux, to La Romanée, to Romanée-Conti, after its purchase by King Louis XV’s cousin, the Prince de Conti.

Domaine de La Romanée-Conti is the proud owner of the most famous Grands Crus on the Côte d’Or, a maker of richly complex, long-lasting ethereal wines produced from their almost 28 hectares of vineyards. DRC produces stunning wines that manage to combine finesse with power and grace with intensity. The greatly missed, Michael Broadbent MW used to describe their wines as “a fist of iron in a velvet glove” and having a “peacock’s tail” of a finish, meaning that the flavours and aromas open up with time in the mouth to reveal complex nuances which are extremely long lasting with a fragrant aftertaste.

For many people Domaine de la Romanée-Conti is “The Domaine” in Burgundy and the pinnacle for Burgundy-lovers. The Domaine owns two famous monopoles; the 1.81 hectares of Romanée Conti and 6.06 hectares of La Tâche. Additionally DRC owns nearly half of Richebourg, over half of Romanée-Saint-Vivant over a third of Grands Echézeaux and significant holdings in Echézeaux, 0.68 hectares of Le Montrachet, and since 2009 has produced a Corton Grand Cru. Occasionally the Domaine produces a Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Cuvée Duvault-Blochet from younger vines in their Grand Cru vineyards. DRC also own a minuscule section of Bâtard-Montrachet, which is not commercialised so only if you are ever lucky enough to visit DRC will you get a taste of this extraordinarily rare white Burgundy.

The Domaine has been at the forefront of viticultural developments and has adopted biodynamic approaches, helping the vines in building up natural resistance to pests and diseases. The winemaking at the Domaine is directed by Alexandre Bernier and his team, following the retirement of Bernard Noblet in 2018, who was their winemaker and cellarmaster at Domaine de la Romanée-Conti since the 1986 vintage.

There is no disputing the quality of the wines, particularly their highly sought-after longest-lived, greatly-prized Romanée-Conti Grand Cru. This is very scarce, as on average only 450 cases are produced each vintage, and some vintages only around 3000 bottles. Vagaries like the spring frosts that vineyards in France have suffered in 2021 can significantly reduce the yields.

Next in the pecking order comes the La Tâche, which in some vintages can match the longevity of Romanée-Conti, but tends to be more approachable, a lighter and more delicately perfumed and fragrant style. La Tâche is only separated from Romanée-Conti by a narrow track and it is amazing that these wines often have a completely different character from the same vintage. Richebourg is powerful, rich and complex with an earthier and spicier character. Romanée-Saint-Vivant is delicate, elegant and floral and can be rated qualitatively alongside Grands-Echézeaux in terms of power and persistence. Grands-Echézeaux is considered a finer, fleshier and slightly more intense wine than the suppler tannic structure of Echézeaux.

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti 2012

Grand Cru, Côte de Nuits

Wilson-Daniels back labels. Levels: 0.5cm

3 bottles per lot





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Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
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SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
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29.09.2022 – 29.09.2022
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