Romanée-Conti Burgundy

A single bottle of wine from this storied AOC in France’s Burgundy region, within the commune of Vosne-Romanée in the Côte de Nuits, routinely fetches thousands of dollars at auction. Pinot Noir is the most widely planted grape varietal here, but up to 15 percent of Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris are also allowed. In the late 1700s, the Archbishop of Paris referred to the wine as “velvet and satin in bottles.” Vintage after vintage, this cherry-noted wine is considered the best in the world.

The AOC has a unique situation in that there is only one winery, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, which has practiced organic farming since the mid-1980s. It is one of the last vineyards to have regrafted vines planted after phylloxera (often called Great French Wine Blight) struck the region in the middle of the 19th century.

Quick Facts

• In 2013, three bottles of the 1990 vintage of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti sold for $72,000 at auction
• Romanée-Conti is a Grand Cru vineyard, the highest level of classification in terms of quality
• In October of 2010, 77 bottles of wine from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti sold at auction for $10,000 each