Romanée-Conti

Romanée -Conti is a classified as grand cru vineyard in the Côte -d'Or in the Burgundy region in France. It is located in the town of Vosne -Romanée, has an area of 1.81 hectares and its own appellation. Produced exclusively red wine.

Location, climate and soil

The vineyard Romanée -Conti is on a slightly rising in the east slope from 260 to 280 m above sea level. To the north it borders the Grand Cru Richebourg. West of the location adjoins the known location of La Romanée. In the south of the Grand Cru La Grande Rue is. Romanée -Conti is a monopoly position of the winery Domaine de la Romanée -Conti.

The climate is associated with the Burgundian transitional climate, outweigh the continental influences over maritime. The mostly dry and hot summer, let the Pinot noir mature though, great vintages emerge only when there is no rain in the fall affects the reading. Due to the pure east facing the micro-climate is relatively cool but very sunny. Exactly located below the notch of the Combe de Concoeur, Romanée -Conti is being protected from nocturnal fall winds and late frosts.

The higher part of Romanée -Conti rests on a Oolithsockel from the Bathonian. The underbody of the deeper part of the document is on Premeaux limestone. The brown, clayey - calcareous Rendzinaschicht has a high clay content and in the upper layer portion thinner than at the bottom. Although the vineyard has only 3 % slope, he is at risk of soil erosion.

The limestone boulders in the vineyard stores the heat of the day and radiate it at night back to the vines from. In addition, the limestones ensure good drainage.

For the northerly city of Dijon (316 m), 1961-1990 were the following data:

In 2007 was:

In 2008, the following data were collected:

Wine

The Romanée -Conti is generally produced exclusively from Pinot noir. As another Pinot and Pinot Liébault Beurot are allowed. Theoretically, up to 15 % white grapes ( Chardonnay, Pinot gris and Pinot blanc) are used. The natural alcohol content must be at least 11.5 percent by volume. The Chaptalisation is - as everywhere in Burgundy - allowed. In the case of an artificial enrichment by dry sugar a maximum alcohol content is determined, which is at 14.5 °. The base yield is 35 hectoliters per hectare per year, may be exceeded by a maximum of 20%. From 2003 to 2007 42 hectoliters were produced in the middle, ie at low 25.8 hl / ha. This provides the Grand Cru good 5,460 bottles per year.

In 2005, the average age of the vines was 52 years. 1947 and 1948 appropriate poles were removed for planting able Romanée- Conti, there are still derived from the pre- phylloxera original vines were brought little more income and were cleared after the 1945 harvest in the years from the vineyard of La Tache. The first year of the new vines is 1952.

The wine critic Clive Coates writes about Romanée Conti:

The rarest, most expensive - and often best - wine in the world ... When you lay your hands on a box - and the " if " is a big " if " because you have to pay 7,000 euros or more for a young vintage, and double or triple much for a wine in its prime - then you have the most aristocratic and most intense example of Pinot Noirs, the purest that you could possibly imagine. It is not only nectar: it is a yardstick against which all Burgundy wines are to be assessed.

The location of Romanée -Conti is probably the best, but at least most prestigious and most expensive Grand Cru throughout Burgundy. Since the bottom of this situation was never traded, he has no price; he would be unimaginably high. Thus, the position Romanée -Conti is very likely the most valuable farmland of the earth.

In March 2005, six magnums of Romanée -Conti 1985 were auctioned in New York. You redeemed converted 134 315 EUR. This record was however beaten by a box Château Mouton -Rothschild of the legendary vintage 1945 2006. In a large business in Kobe, Japan, a bottle of Romanée -Conti 2000 for 787500 yen is offered, the equivalent of about 5,000 euros.

In the gourmet department of the Paris department store Galeries Lafayette, a 0.75 -liter bottle of Romanee Conti from the 2005 vintage for 18,000 Euros was offered in October 2008. Meanwhile, ( November 2012 ) it costs € 23,000.

History

The history of the Grand Cru of Vosne -Romanée is inextricably linked to the abbeys of Citeaux and Saint- Vivant in today Curtil -Vergy. On November 13, 1131 bequeathed Hugh II Duke of Burgundy to the monastery of Saint- Vivant significant lands in the area of ​​today's communities Flagey Echezeaux and Vosne -Romanée -. The monks laid over the years to various vineyards. In 1232 the monastery was given the vineyard Cloux de Saint- Vivant donated by Alix de Vergy, the second wife of Otto III.von Burgundy. The vineyard Cloux de Saint- Vivant was according to a statement from the year 1512 from the districts of Le Cloux cinq Journaux, Le Cloux des quatre Journaux, Le Cloux of neuf Journaux and le Cloux you Moytant. While the plot of Le Cloux cinq Journaux (1.71 ha) was sold to Daniel Cousin in 1584 and later constitutes the nucleus of the situation Romanée -Conti, the remaining plots remained in the possession of the monastery. In France the Revolution, the possessions of the Church were declared national property and auctioned.

The status of a Grand Cru Romanée -Conti was awarded the position on 11 September 1936. Decree on the Controlled Appellation simultaneously recorded neighboring Grands Crus of Romanée -Saint- Vivant, Richebourg, La Tache and La Romanée.