DRC La Romanée-Conti Grand Cru

Vosne-Romanée, France

The most celebrated wine on earth. A 1.8-hectare Grand Cru monopole in Vosne-Romanée — the only plot in Burgundy producing a wine named for itself. Ungrafted vines (a small plot survived phylloxera on sand). Yields typically below 15 hl/ha. The wine is never the darkest, never the most tannic, never the most immediately impressive at DRC — yet within 20 years it transcends all peers. The 'Grand Cru' is a BYOB event for the world's most serious collectors. BC availability: auction only.

Pairings

• celebration: La Romanée-Conti transcends; only Michel Troisgros-style Bresse chicken en vessie matches the grandeur of the occasion
• cheese: Aged Comté with its crystalline texture, caramel-salt, and mushroom notes is the textbook pairing for mature Grand Cru Pinot Noir. The umami richness of the cheese amplifies the wine's earthiness without overwhelming it.
• main: The ethereal silk and forest-floor character of La Romanée-Conti meets roasted squab's gamey richness — the truffle jus bridges the wine's tertiary character while mushroom ragù echoes the Grand Cru's earthiness. The wine's tannin is so fine it barely needs food; the squab is its equal.
• main: DRC La Romanée-Conti demands a preparation of equal rarity; squab's iron-gamey depth and the truffle's volatile complexity are proportioned to the wine's extraordinary multi-dimensional character
• celebration: La Romanée-Conti elevates the white truffle risotto; the world's greatest wine for the world's most expensive fungus
• main: La Romanée-Conti is incomparable; only roasted Bresse pigeon with black truffle demands this level of wine
• main: A consommé of forest mushrooms and black truffle creates the concentrated earthy register that DRC La Romanée-Conti's complexity inhabits; both speak of the Côte d'Or's forest and soil
• amuse: The fat of foie gras coats the palate, allowing DRC's silky tannin to appear even more ethereal. The cherry compote mirrors the wine's red fruit. A legendary pairing for high-ceremony dining.