The 1945 Romanée-Conti has just broken the world record! Indeed, this rare bottle sold at auction in New York for the modest sum of $558. The wine has thus supplanted the 000 Château Lafite Rothschild, which sold for less than half that amount in 1869, notably $2010.
The Romanée-Conti 1945, an exceptional bottle
Initially estimated at $32, this exceptional vintage found a buyer for an astonishing price! Unheard of for wine! It was during the auction organized by Sotheby's in the Big Apple, New York, that the flamboyant bottle was sold for 000 times its original price. The bidding climbed rapidly to reach a price of $17, or €558. It is worth noting that this bottle is one of the last 000 examples produced in 482, before the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti uprooted and replanted the vines. Before being auctioned, this rare bottle belonged to Robert Drouhin, and came from his personal collection. He also owned one of the largest Burgundy estates between 326 and 600. This included Joseph Drouhin, which was also the exclusive distributor of the Romanée-Conti estate for France and Belgium from 1945 to 1957. However, the name of the buyer remains unknown. What is certain is that he must have been a great collector and lover of prestigious grands crus.
This wine is also considered the greatest Burgundy wine, and even the most prestigious vintage in the world. This justifies the exorbitant price at which it sold. In addition to its quality, this prestigious bottle is also one of the rarest, but certainly also one of the tastiest.
Romanée-Conti: an ancestral tradition and extraordinary know-how
Le Romanée-Conti, an ancestral tradition, has gained this worldwide reputation since the Middle Ages. From the 2th century, the Abbey of Saint-Vivant de Vergy cultivated the first grape varieties of this exceptional wine. The Romanée-Conti grape seeds thus flourished on the strip of hillsides of the Côte de Nuits or Côte d'Or, and developed and spread over nearly XNUMX hectares.
This grand cru quickly seduced wine lovers, not only for its exceptional, distinctive aroma but also for its frank and flamboyant flavor. It quickly became one of the world's leading wine references. To guarantee the quality of its wines, only between 5000 and 6000 bottles are produced each year. And these sell for tens of thousands of euros each.
Other bottles sold at a surprising price
Today, in addition to Romanée-Conti, the podium of the world's most expensive grands crus includes a Château Lafite Rothschild 1869, a former record, sold for $233 (€000) in Hong Kong in 204. Three examples of the same vintage were sold that day. And in third place, we have a 430-liter Imperial du Château Cheval Blanc 2010, sold for $1947 (€6) in Geneva. All three are exceptional rare red wines, with a taste that is more sweet than tannic.
But considering all bottle sizes, the previous record dates back to 2007 for a 3-litre jeroboam of 1945 vintage Mouton-Rothschild which found a buyer in New York for a price of $310.
But at the recent auction, another bottle of 1945 Romanée-Conti also sold for $496, making it the second-highest price ever at auction. A bottle of 000 vintage Scotch whisky also sold for $1926, or approximately €843. A surprising sum, but not a record for whisky.
Patrick
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