History
Domaine de la Romanée Conti produces some of Burgundy’s most illustrious Grand Crus, including its namesake, Romanée Conti. The domaine’s vineyards surround the village of Vosne Romanée and appear to have been owned by the priory of Saint Vivant in the 13th century (though they may well predate its existence). In the 17th century, many of the vineyards were sold to private buyers, including the Croonembourg family, who acquired “Romanée” in 1631. A century later, the Croonembourgs sold the vineyard to the Prince de Conti, who was forced to pay generously in order to outbid Madame de Pompadour, the mistress of King Louis XV. The birth pangs of revolution saw the prince’s land sequestered in the 1790s, though the domaine’s flagship vineyard still bears his name today.
In 1869, Romanée Conti was bought by Jacques-Marie Duvault-Blochet who purchased holdings in neighbouring Grand Cru vineyards. His land was then bequeathed to successive generations and currently falls to the Villaine and Leroy/Roch families, with the latter acquiring part ownership in 1942. Family tension rose in the 1990s, however, when DRC became embroiled in a legal battle with former co-director Madame Lalou Bize-Leroy, after she was ousted from her role over a marketing dispute. Since then, Bize-Leroy has set up her own domaines in the region and remains something of a controversial local character. DRC is currently run by co-owner Aubert de Villaine. The estate's properties include a second monopole in the form of La Tache (purchased in 1933), as well as sizeable holdings in Richebourg, Romanee St Vivant, Grands-Echezeaux, Echezeaux and Le Montrachet.
The 2008 vintage
DRC 2008 has received mixed reactions from the critics. Jancis Robinson rates the vintage just below 2007, with Tache, Richebourg and Romanée Conti all receiving 18.5 points. Stephen Tanzer, however, seems to prefer 2008, deeming both Tache and Romanée Conti slightly superior to their 2007 equivalents. Tanzer describes the latter as “at once spherical and penetrating, with a silkiness that bathes the palate in berry, pepper, spice and mineral flavors.” – 94-97.
Tanzer’s preference for 2008 is seconded by Neal Martin, who assigned Tache 94-96 points and Romanée Conti 95-97 points – “Not a powerful, forceful Romanee-Conti, but utterly graceful towards the finish”.
Market Trends
The 2007s were released earlier this year at the same price as the 2006s, ranging from £895 a six-pack for the Echezeaux to £7,795 for Romanée Conti. Since the wines arrived on the secondary market (which is where most buyers have to hunt for DRC), prices have remained relatively constant, with little or no price appreciation this year (this is largely true for DRC as a whole). Although, those who received an allocation of the 2007s would already be sitting on handsome profits of as much as 188%.
But how do 2007 prices compare with those of previous years? Based on the average current price of the 2007s (across all six red Grand Crus), 2007 is one of the cheapest DRC vintages available, at half the price of the exceptional 2005 (only the 2004 vintage is cheaper). Having said that, the picks here appear to be the 2001 and 2002 vintages, which marry strong quality with (relatively) reasonable prices.
