Domaine de la Romanee Conti

They have worked organically since 1986 and began trying biodynamics in the 1990s, a fact that isn’t surprising considering that Lalou Bize Leroy was a co-manager with Aubert de Villaine until 1992. The vineyards have reached a general state of equilibrium; though organic fertilizer is still used occasionally, the vineyards naturally end up producing roughly between 25-30 hectoliters per hectare. The vineyards are plowed more by horse than tractor, preventing compacting of the soil. 

Average vine age is roughly 40 years old throughout the estate. The vine material for any replanting comes from heritage cuttings from Romanee Conti and La Tache, largely from when they were replanted in 1945. Harvest generally takes 10-14 days with a team of 100-plus people, with a second sorting of fruit happening at the cuverie. The goal is to minimize any impact on the fruit as it comes into the winery. 

Vinification is traditional, with a large portion of the stems retained and the grapes cooled to slow fermentation in small vats. After primary fermentation, the wine is moved to 100% new barrels, almost exclusively from Francois Freres and a few from Taransaud. The wines are racked after finishing malolactic fermentation and then spend another 15 months in barrel prior to bottling. 

The reds are never fined or filtered. The estate makes a number of wines that it does not sell, but also makes a small amount of Montrachet. While this wine is as sought after as any from the domaine, it shows differently than most other producers Montrachet, with a full, generous texture, weight and ripeness. The reds show the domaine’s unique style of elegance wrapped around an incredible structure all while expressing lifted aromatics. Drinking the wines is an ethereal experience, with their wonderful expressions of sense of place. While the price on the wines has continued to rise over the years, it is hard to argue that they’re not the pinnacle of Burgundy. They continue to set the bar that every other producer in Burgundy aspires to.