7 things a wine lover should know about DRC

Wine connoisseurs among us will know what the abbreviation DRC stands for. For those who haven't yet entered this wonderful world: Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. A name you'll want to remember. It refers to the legendary winery in the Côte de Nuits, Burgundy. Will I ever taste it in my life?

That happened. Five years after I wrote this article, it happened. I tasted La Tache and it was amazing .

#1 It's the best wine in the world

Domaine La Romanée-Conti makes the world's finest wine. Made entirely from Pinot Noir, a grape so highly prized here. Prices range from €4,000 to €12,000 per bottle. "Wine is meant to be drunk" unfortunately doesn't apply here. The wines are bought, collected, and traded like shares.

Want to know more celebrities in the wine world? Then check out Chateau Pétrus and Chateau d'Yquem from Bordeaux.

#2 A marriage between satin and velvet

When a wine is finally opened, superlatives fail to deliver. Heavenly, magical, legendary. A wine described as a marriage of satin and velvet, or as Roald Dahl once said: "an orgasm on your tongue." In short, one sip and you'll be destroyed.

#3 It's Grand Cru O'Clock

The estate is located in the commune of Vosne-Romanée and, in addition to the eponymous La Romanée-Conti vineyard, owns seven other Grand Crus vineyards:

The Tâche
Le Richebourg
Romanée Saint Vivant
Grand Echézeaux
Echézeaux
Corton
Le Montrachet

The vineyards in Burgundy are Very fragmented . This is a remnant from the time of Napoleon, who decided to divide the church's large vineyards among the people. As a result, a single vineyard can have multiple owners. The DRC has two "monopoles." The DRC is the sole owner of La Romanée-Conti and La Tâche.

Apparently, they also have a small plot of Bâtard-Montrachet vineyard, enough to produce two barrels of wine. They don't sell this; they keep it for themselves. Excellent house wine!

France winery Burgundy DRC domaine de la romanée-conti côte de nuits

#4 They work biodynamically

Perfection is the goal at this estate. The documentary SOMM: Into the Bottle offers a glimpse into the kitchen (read: cellar) of DRC. They operate biodynamically on their own vineyards and use low yields to ensure quality.

#5 Scarcity = status symbol

Speaking of low yields, DRC releases 450 cases of La Romanée-Conti annually. There simply isn't more, as the vineyard is only 1.8 hectares…

Compared to Château d'Yquem, a top château in Bordeaux, they have a total of 126 hectares, of which a maximum of 100 hectares are always in production. They produce 65,000 bottles of the liquid gold annually—provided they have a good year. More about this château read it here.

#6 Pirates on the coast

Once you create something good, it gets copied. A few years ago, an international police operation seven people arrested who may have been involved in marketing counterfeit Romanée-Conti. These turned out to be blended wines, of poor quality, which were sold in large numbers. A total of 400 wines were sold, worth 2 million euros.

#7 A book and documentaries

As long as you don't get to taste it, you can probably experience the taste through the book Read Le Domaine de la Romanée-Conti . Text by Gert Krum with photos by Jan Bartelmans. Or spend an afternoon relaxing on the couch with the (slightly cheesy) documentary A Year in Burgundy and SOMM: Into the Bottle , both of which highlight Le Domaine.

Like what you read?

Then follow me on Instagram or Facebook and stay up-to-date on my adventures and new articles. Le Club des Vins sends out a monthly newsletter called "Wine Fun in Your Inbox." Want to join ?

Sources: