Discover the mystery behind the exceptional Romanée Conti 1945 wine
In 2018, a bottle of Romanée-Conti wine was auctioned for €482,000. This event further fueled the mystique surrounding this prestigious wine and led many to wonder what lies behind its success. We would like to shed some light on this. You can also see the ranking of the world's most expensive wines .
Record wine auction sales
2018 was a pivotal year for the 1945 Romanée-Conti. It saw the wine set a new world record for the highest price ever paid for a bottle. On October 13th of that year, an auction held by Sotheby's in New York saw it sold for $558,000, the equivalent of €482,000 at the time . The bottle was one of 600 bottles with a stained label produced in 1945, prior to the uprooting of the vines and their replanting shortly thereafter by the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.
This is therefore an extremely rare bottle of the most prestigious wine in Burgundy and the world . However, this doesn't seem to justify its sale price. Even the auction organizer expressed surprise, having initially estimated the upper limit at $32,000.
The 1869 Château Lafite Rothschild, a bottle of comparable age, also lost its record of $233,000 (€200,000), set at auction in Hong Kong in 2010. Considering all existing sizes, this record previously belonged to a 3-liter jeroboam of 1945 Mouton-Rothschild , which was sold in New York for the modest sum of $310,000 (€270,000).
A limited production
As you might conclude, the myth of Romanée-Conti 1945 rests on its rarity. And you'd be right. Indeed, the annual production of Romanée-Conti barely exceeds 5,000 bottles . Yet, in terms of prestige, no competitor surpasses it. Louis XIV was already fond of it, after his personal physician, Guy Crescent Fagon, recommended it to him to relieve his stomach ailments. The monarch was particularly captivated by the wine's unparalleled refinement and indescribable notes of faded rose.
At the time, the vineyard plot did not yet bear the name Romanée. This name was given by the descendants of a certain Claude Cousin, who took over the estate in the 13th century. It gained considerable prestige after its purchase by Louis-François de Bourbon, Prince of Conti . Just by referring to this part of its history, It's difficult to dispute its current average price, which is between 10,000 and 15,000 euros at auction . And it's understandable that it's only distributed by the most prestigious restaurants in Paris, Versailles, and many other French cities.
More than just a wine
After acquiring the estate, Prince Conti added his name to it, hence the name Romanée-Conti. He considered the wine produced there a true work of art . He was accustomed to having it served at his private table. And although the vineyard has passed from family to family since the French Revolution, not everyone considered changing the name. Currently, the Domaine Romanée-Conti is owned and jointly managed by two families: Aubert de Villaine and Henri-Frédéric Rock.
Further proof of the uniqueness of Romanée-Conti 1945 and subsequent vintages compared to other French AOC wines is that it has managed to overshadow the other grand cru wines of the monopole that owns it. Yet, these are not just any wines, for they are:
- Romanée Saint-Vivant (5.28 hectares)
- Richebourg (3.51 hectares),
- D'Echézeaux (4.67 hectares)
- Grands Echézeaux (3.52 hectares)
The myth, however, would not have endured without a powerful figure dedicated to its preservation: Aubert de Villaine . He consistently fought to ensure that the products of his estate were not subject to speculation. Furthermore, his commitment to UNESCO's efforts to have the Climats of Burgundy classified as a World Heritage Site made him a highly respected figure in the wine world, not only in Burgundy, but throughout France and beyond.
