Definition: Romanée-Conti DRC, Domaine de la

The estate (often referred to as DRC) only sells grands crus. Aubert de Villaine considers himself the heir to a great terroir, and believes that DRC should aspire to produce wines worthy of its past. A great estate is above all a philosophy. The terroir is the driving force behind what we do. The La Romanée-Conti grand cru is wholly owned by the estate and, as such, can display the word "monopole" on its labels. This plot measures 1.805 hectares. Its size has not changed by a single centimetre since 1580. In Burgundy, wine is still made as it was in the 14th century: Aubert de Villaine recognises himself in this sentence found in Le Laval, a book dating from 1850. Of course, the estate now has a much better understanding of the terroirs. Of course, technical methods have evolved: in particular, a sorting table is used at harvest time, and refrigeration technology allows for better control of the vinification process. However, the estate has a duty to perpetuate its tradition of quality and respect the fragility of the terroir, a legacy that the current owners are committed to passing on. The Romanée-Conti terroir has remained unchanged for many centuries, with the exception of a few cartloads of earth that the Prince of Conti had brought in. Here, the human hand is responsible for selection: selection of vines, selection of terroirs, selection of vine shoots, selection of grapes both in the vineyard during the summer and during the harvest, selection of cuvées, of course, but also selection of the people who will work in the vineyard or in the cellars. On the estate, the vines used for blending have an average age of forty years. Wine from younger vines is not blended. It is sold in bulk to Burgundy wine merchants. It is easy to understand why the estate takes such special care of its vines. Organic farming is practised here, and 6 hectares are even devoted to biodynamic farming. Horses have also been reintroduced to certain plots, and don't think this is just for show: folklore is not the estate's style, Villaine soberly retorts. As for the vinification of the estate's wines, it aims to respect the terroir, as a great wine is made in the vineyard. The wines are then aged in new oak barrels, the wood for which is purchased and selected three years in advance and carefully dried by their cooper. Low yields (25 to 30 hectolitres per hectare on average) and dense materials allow the estate's wines to withstand long ageing in oak barrels. During the harvest, the estate may ask the pickers to make successive selections in order to harvest only the ripe berries. Then comes the time for bottling. The wines are taken directly from the barrels using a two-spouted goat and bottled directly. For certain vintages, including 1999, the need for aeration and therefore racking meant that the estate had to abandon this practice. The wines are sold in complete cases of 12 bottles containing a single bottle of La Romanée Conti. It should be noted that the estate produces only 6,000 bottles per year of this famous Burgundy wine. Given such a small supply, the estate has opted for this method of marketing, making La Romanée-Conti affordable by offering it alongside eleven other more accessible grands crus from the estate. The estate also produces 3,000 bottles of Montrachet per year. These are sold separately. The estate's premier crus are only sold on an exceptional basis (in 1999, a Vosne-Romanée premier cru was sold). The DRC also owns 12 parcels of Batard-Montrachet, producing a few pieces (228 litres) each year, a rarity that the estate reserves for its own consumption.

In conclusion, when asked to describe his wines, he prefers to convey their personality, as he recognised it during a recent and legendary vertical tasting of the estate's wines dating back to 1911 (the estate still has one bottle).

Echezeaux: this is a cheerful wine, full of enthusiasm and fruit. An exuberant wine that can claim to surpass Grand Echezeaux in its youth.

Grand Echezeaux: the exuberance of Echezeaux is counterbalanced by the serenity of Grand Echezeaux. A wine that comes into its own over the years.

Romanée Saint-Vivant: the finesse and elegance of the estate, with a palate marked by monastic austerity.

Richebourg: a wine of great richness, as its name suggests, and also of great finesse.

La Tâche: a wine of great rigour, a vertical wine, reminiscent of Philippe de Champaigne's famous portrait of Richelieu.

La Romanée-Conti: a spherical wine, with great power complemented by sweetness.

For all those who, after this lecture, are keen to taste a vintage of La Romanée-Conti, we feel it necessary to point out that DRC did not produce La Romanée-Conti from 1946 to 1951. The estate uprooted its vines in 1945 in order to replant them. The first vintage to be sold in the years that followed was 1952.