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  • Country ranking ?

    209
  • Producer ranking ?

    29
  • Decanting time

    2h
  • When to drink

    now
  • Food Pairing

    enjoy without food

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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The Story

 “As if, in this square of earth, the gods had bequeathed us a memory of the fascinating vestige of a timeless perfection.” — Richard Olney. The wine of Prince de Conti, she is velvet, seduction and mystery. It is the most Proustian of all great wines.

 

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti is without question the most famous estate in Burgundy and arguably the greatest, producing some of the best wines in the world. It is probably one of the most traditional wineries in France. Wines are produced in small quantities while the demand is huge. The domaine has 25 hectares of vineyards, all Grand Crus, including the jewel in the crown, the 1.8 hectare monopole of Romanée Conti.

Romanée-Conti, a vineyard of four and a half acres,was originally the property of the Abbey of St. Vivant. In 1760 Prince Conti acquired it against the competition of a famous collector of jewellery, Madame de Pompadour – the king’s minister against the king’s mistress. He withdrew it from the market and reserved it for his own dazzling social events. It was he who created the myth surrounding Romanée-Conti.

The price of this tiny, treasured vineyard was 80.000 livres, which in those days was worth a small kingdom. Reclaimed as property of the nation during the Revolution, the vineyard passed through the hands of several proprietors to an ancestor of the present owner for 14.000 gold pounds in 1868.

–We are the keeper of a certain philosophy of wine and, mainly, we are concerned by the perfection in details" assures Aubert de Villaine. 

 

Romanée-Conti lies on brown limestone soils 60 cm deep with a major clay component. Romanée-Saint-Vivant has similar but deeper (90 cm) soils. Higher up, La Romanée occupies a markedly sloping site (12%) and the soil texture is less clayey. La Tâche and La Grande Rue share brown limestone soils, rather shallow at the top end with deeper rendzinas lower down. The same is true for the Richebourg, depending on slope and aspect. The underlying rock is hard Premeaux limestone dating from the Jurassic (175 million years BC).

Lying between Flagey-Échezeaux (home of the ÉCHEZEAUX appellation) and Nuits-Saint-Georges, Vosne-Romanée occupies a middle position in the Côte de Nuits. The vines grow at altitudes of 250 to 310 metres and face east or, in some cases, slightly south of east. Vosne-Romanée, the central jewel in the necklace of appellations which is the burgundian côte, is not content with holding a mere four aces but boasts a total of six Grands Crus, each one famous the world over. A thousand years ago, it was the Cluniac monks of Saint-Vivant de Vergy and the Cistercians of Cîteaux who first realised the value of these very special plots of land. 
One of these vineyards takes its name from Prince Conti who lost his heart to it in 1760. Romanée-Conti is one of the wonders ofthe world and has always been a singly-held entity. Next door to it, Romanée-Saint-Vivant recalls the medieval monastery of the Hautes-Côtes which is currently undergoing restoration and which is linked to it by its own path. La Romanée, La Tâche and La Grande Rue are also singly-held entities, as is Richebourg, whose mere name is enough to fill a glass.

 

These Grands Crus frequently give good results from long laying-down. As a general rule, they shouldn't be drunk under about ten years of age but sometimes they will be aged up to 20 or 30 years. Each appellation has its own distinct personality depending on its year of production and on the stage it has reached in its development. These flamboyant red wines fully express the subtlety and complexity of the Burgundian Pinot Noir grape. Their colour is a dark ruby turning crimson with age. Their wide-ranging bouquet is divided among small red and black fruits, violet, spices and, with time, underbrush. On the palate, this wine is well-defined with a powerful body. It is delicate, sensual, frank and full.

 

In addition to their powerful structure and exceptional longevity, these great wines develop tertiary aromas of truffle, underbrush, leather and fur. It goes without saying that strong-flavoured meats will do them justice : furred or feathered game, braised, in sauce, or simply grilled. Wild-fowl (eg Peking duck) or a nice cut of roast veal will be gently enveloped by the close-packed but elegant tannins of these mighty Pinot Noir wines.

Serving temperatures : 15 to 16 °C.

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Wine Information

This 1929 was the DRC vintage of the decade together with 1923. The winter turned out to be relatively humid and was followed by rapid vegetal growth in March. The growth was slowed down by mid April when the weather chilled, even getting icy.
The mild and humid weather was retrieved in May causing early flowering. Then again the cooling temperature in June caused moderate a berry set resulting a small crop.
Although the summer was very hot the vines with their small berries managed to avoid the unbearable heat stress.
The autumn was sheer perfection – mainly dry with much-needed showers before harvest which was warm and sunny. Harvesting extended over September to the 1st October.
In the Christie’s sale, which took place on 4 and 5 March 2011, three bottles of Domaine de la Romanee Conti 1929 fetched US$77,400 (£42,280).


Domaine de la Romanée-Conti

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti is without question the most famous estate in Burgundy and arguably the greatest, producing some of the best wines in the world. It is probably one of the most traditional wineries in France. Wines are produced in small quantities while the demand is huge. The domaine has 25 hectares of vineyards, all Grand Crus, including the jewel in the crown, the 1.8 hectare monopole of Romanée Conti.
Romanée-Conti, a vineyard of four and a half acres,was originally the property of the Abbey of St. Vivant. In 1760 Prince Conti acquired it against the competition of a famous collector of jewellery, Madame de Pompadour – the king’s minister against the king’s mistress. He withdrew it from the market and reserved it for his own dazzling social events. It was he who created the myth surrounding Romanée-Conti.
The price of this tiny, treasured vineyard was 80.000 livres, which in those days was worth a small kingdom. Reclaimed as property of the nation during the Revolution, the vineyard passed through the hands of several proprietors to an ancestor of the present owner for 14.000 gold pounds in 1868.
In June 1940 began the journey of 16-year-old André Noblet from estate´s cellar caretaker to chief winemaker. The moment was not exactly favourable for the young man, as in July France was occupied by Germany. This single-minded and intelligent young man wanted to learn as quickly as he could all there was to know about the making of the estate´s wines, and Louis Clin did not spare his efforts, time or knowledge from this eager and gifted youth. As early as 1946 André vinified his first wines under Mr. Clin´s supervision. André Noblet finally took over the whole responsibility for the estate´s wines after the death of Louis Clin.
–We are the keeper of a certain philosophy of wine and, mainly, we are concerned by the perfection in details" assures Aubert de Villaine.
Aubert de Villaine became co-director of the domaine in 1974. His goal at the domaine is to bottle a wine that has had almost no manipulation, but is the result of perfectly balanced, healthy fruit. At the domaine everything is directed at producing great wines which are ideal for keeping. Biodynamics, used over the last ten years, has led to a change in direction under the new leadership of Henry Frédéric-Roch, one of the domaine's co-managers, together with Aubert de Villaine.


Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
1, Rue Derrière le Four
21700 Nuits-Saint-Georges
France

Tel. + 33 3 8062 4880
Fax + 33 3 8061 0572
↓↓

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Average Bottle Price

2023 2020 2017 2015 2013 2012 2011 2010 2005 2000 1995
23 760€ +25.7% 18 900€ +28.9% 14 660€ -8.3% 15 988€ -0.8% 16 123€ +47.2% 10 954€ -4.0% 11 410€ +40.7% 8 111€ +55.7% 5 211€ +45.3% 3 587€ +171.3% 1 322€

This data comes from the FINE Auction Index, a composite of average prices for wines sold at commercial auctions in 20 countries. The average prices from each year have been collected since 1990. This chart plots the index value of the average price of the wines.

Tasting note

color

Medium, Brick red and Cloudy

ending

Long, Lingering, Spicy and Sharp

flavors

Smoky, Earthy, Blackberry, Cranberry, Spice and Nutty

nose

Intense, Seductive, Charming and Pure

recommend

Yes

taste

Average in Acidity, Low alcohol content, Perfectly balanced, Well-Integrated, Good texture, Mature, Medium-bodied, Aggressive, Ripe, Harmonious, Rich, Dry and Drying tannins

Verdict

Excellent and Impressive

Written Notes

It was a Romanee Conti weekend, however, and the bottle of 1929 DRC Romanee Conti was another incredible bottle of old RC. ‘What a nose,’ my note began. It was decadently saucy and musky, full of menthol, beef, exotic lychee and garden. It had a hint of kinky overripe fruit to it, but that did not mar the wine in any way, shape or form. The palate was so rich, so long and so lush. Nutty and tasty beyond belief, there was an unreal earth component that could only come from the terroir known as Romanee Conti. Rob put it in terms that he understands, ‘740 Park. Unreal.’ Told ya. Decadent steak sauce flavors emerged. My next notes were ‘wowowowowowowowow….ni hao.’ The ’29 RC was so good it made Rob confess, but I wouldn’t be a good wine priest if I told you lol. The ’29 had enough energy to power up the Vegas strip. It was then that Guy Savoy returned, and for those of you that don’t know, he is arguably one of the top ten chefs in the world. He has my vote. He came into our private room to say hello and thank us, etc., and Rob quickly gave him a glass of 1929 Romanee Conti. Chefs usually have pretty good palates, and I would imagine that Guy’s would rank up there pretty highly. He was emotionally moved by this glass of wine; you could see his eyes widen as the wine swirled around his mouth. Our sense of joy soon became his as well, and he savored his glass religiously. Once finished, I offered him a glass of 1969 Rousseau. ‘No no no!’ he insisted. ‘Guy! This is 1969 Rousseau Chambertin! You must try it, c’est incroyable!’ I
  • 98p
Moderately light, tawny colour. Refined, intense, charred wood, ripe plums. Medium-bodied, vivid, fragrant, perfumed, silky tannins, lively acidity, lovely jasmine flavours. Sweet, earthy and warming finish. Impeccable wine with great charm.
  • 97p
DRC Conti 1929/98 points Moderately intense, cherry red colour. Pronounced, open and very complex nose with rich red fruit aromas – wild strawberries, licorice, forest floor, mushrooms, root vegetables and flowers. Full-bodied palate is vivid and intense with loads of sweet red fruits. The texture is silky and concentrated with subtle tannins. Excessive mouthfeel is highlighted still with well-integrated, high alcohol. Long vibrant finish - still in superb condition.
  • 98p
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Information

Origin

Vosne-Romanée, Burgundy

Vintage Quality

Excellent

Value For Money

Unsatisfactory

Investment potential

No Potential

Fake factory

Every second bottle is a fake

Glass time

1h

Other wines from this producer

Bâtard-Montrachet

Corton-Charlemagne

Corton Grand Cru

Echézeaux

Grands Echézeaux

La Romanée-Conti Grand Cru

La Tâche

Les Gaudichots

Marc

Montrachet

Richebourg

Romanee Saint Vivant

Vosne Romanée

Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Cuvée Duvault Blochet

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