DRC yields down 40 per cent in 2008

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s production for its 2008 vintage is down 40% compared to a normal year.

The wines, shown to the UK trade and press last Friday in London by UK agent Corney & Barrow, are in even shorter supply than usual, with just 263 cases made of Romanée-Conti itself, compared to last year’s 400, and an average of 450.

Aubert de Villaine, co-owner and co-director of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti told the drinks business that it would be a difficult vintage when it comes to distribution.

The extremely low yields in the Domaine’s vineyards around the village of Vosne-Romanée were a result of almost ceaseless rain from flowering to mid-September.

However, after ruthless selection and leaf stripping, a small number of berries were able to enjoy fine weather from 14 September until harvesting finished on 6 October.

Hence, De Villaine described 2008 as has having “the ripeness and maturity of a great vintage but at a cost in yield that is so savage.”

Meanwhile, Adam Brett-Smith, managing director of Corney & Barrow said that 2009’s yeilds for the Domaine were back up to a more normal 25 hectolitres per hectare.

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti became fully biodynamic from 2008 having practised organic viticulture for over 20 years and De Villaine commented that despite testing conditions during 2008, the Domaine would not be dissuaded from the philosophy.

Having tasted the wines, db recommends the Romanée-Conti, which stood out among its high quality neighbours for its density, generosity – with a ripe core of red fruit – complexity, and freshness, as well as long smooth finish, making it so seductive even at this early stage in its life.

At £1,650 per bottle in bond, it’s certainly not inexpensive, but bearing in mind just over 3,000 bottles were produced, and the huge demand for the wine, it’s not overpriced either. After all, a bottle of Lafite 2008 is trading on Liv-ex for almost £1,200, and there are 20,000 cases of this wine still in circulation – the first growth hasn’t been shipped yet.

See table below for Domaine de la Romanée-Conti yields and production figures.

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti prices:

Echézeaux                       £1,050/case of 6 in bond, £525/case of 3
Grands Echézeaux          £1,650/case of 6 in bond, £825/case of 3
Richebourg                      £2,495/case of 6 in bond, £1,250/case of 3
Romanée-Saint-Vivant    £2,595/case of 6 in bond, £1,300/case of 3
La Tâche                         £3,050/case of 6 in bond, £1,525/case of 3
Romanée-Conti               £4,850/case of 3 in bond, £1,650/bottle

Patrick Schmitt, 03.02.2011