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Why Has the Vineyard Kept the Same Name Through Every Change of Owner? — Romanée-Conti

Burgundy, Through One Map

Why Has the Vineyard Kept the Same Name Through Every Change of Owner? — Romanée-Conti

Watercolour panorama of the vineyards and village of Vosne-Romanée in Burgundy

In a corner of the village of Vosne-Romanée, in the Côte de Nuits, lies a vineyard of 1.81 hectares—small enough to walk across in a few minutes. Its name is “Romanée-Conti,” simply the old name of the land, “Romanée,” joined to the name of a nobleman, “Conti.” Over more than 260 years, ownership of this vineyard has passed from a medieval abbey to a nobleman, from the nobleman to the revolutionary state, and from the state to a succession of families. And yet the name given to the vineyard has never changed.

ItemDetails
Name of the climatRomanée-Conti
Commune / districtVosne-Romanée (Côte de Nuits)
ClassificationGrand Cru / AOC recognized September 11, 1936
Form of ownershipMonopole (the entire plot is owned by a single domaine)
Milestone years13th century (the abbey holds vineyard land here) / 1760 (acquired by the Prince de Conti) / 1789–94 (confiscated and auctioned in the Revolution) / 1869 (acquired by the Duvault-Blochet family) / 1936 (AOC recognition) / late 20th century–2022 (Aubert de Villaine’s co-directorship)
For referenceArea approx. 1.81 hectares / grape variety 100% Pinot Noir / red wine only

From the Abbey’s Vineyard to “La Romanée”

Records of vines planted in this area reach back to the Middle Ages. The Abbey of Saint-Vivant, founded around the 10th century by Manassès, lord of Vergy, is said to have held vineyard land in this area by the 13th century, built on land granted to it by the Duke of Burgundy in the 12th century. Tended by monks, the land remained a vineyard even after the Abbey of Saint-Vivant itself was later absorbed into the Abbey of Cluny. It was only afterward that the plot came to be called “La Romanée.” The origin of the name is not clear, but it is said to have already taken hold by the 17th century.

1760: A Nobleman Chooses This Vineyard

In 1760, “La Romanée” was put up for sale. It was acquired by a nobleman of the House of Bourbon, Louis-François de Bourbon, Prince de Conti. A story is told that the prince won the vineyard after a rivalry with Madame de Pompadour, the favorite of King Louis XV. After the acquisition, the vineyard came to be known as “Romanée-Conti.” In 1763, the prince also purchased two adjoining plots, to be used as the site for winemaking facilities.

Even the Revolution’s Confiscation Could Not Erase the Name

In 1789, following the storming of the Bastille, the confiscation of Church and noble property began. The vineyard, owned by the Prince de Conti’s family, was not spared. In February 1794, the revolutionary government carried out its first appraisal, and it is in the record of that appraisal that the name “Romanée-Conti” appears in writing for the first time. It was a twist of fate: the name of a nobleman was inscribed in the very documents of the government that was confiscating his property. In December of that year, the vineyard was put up for auction and passed to a man named Nicolas Defer de la Nouerre. It continued to change hands several times over the course of the 19th century, until, on November 25, 1869, it was acquired by Jacques-Marie Duvault-Blochet.

1869, and the Other Village a Co-Director Would Later Choose

The Duvault-Blochet family, which acquired Romanée-Conti that year, would go on to pass the domaine down through succeeding generations. In the latter half of the 20th century, Aubert de Villaine, a descendant within that family line, served as co-director of the domaine that includes this vineyard for nearly half a century, stepping down from the role in 2022. Alongside his years as co-director, Villaine also built a domaine of his own in Bouzeron, a small village in the Côte Chalonnaise. The man who had long been entrusted with this vineyard had also left his name in a quiet village of his own.

Some 800 years have passed since the monks of the Abbey of Saint-Vivant first worked this land. Ownership has passed from the abbey to a nobleman, from the nobleman to the revolutionary state, and on to a succession of families. And yet the name given to the vineyard has never changed.

Three Facts Worth Knowing

  • The name “Romanée-Conti” is simply two names joined together. The old name of the land, “La Romanée,” passed down since the Middle Ages, was joined with the name of the nobleman who acquired the vineyard in 1760—Louis-François de Bourbon, Prince de Conti—to form the name used today.
  • The Prince de Conti’s property was confiscated in the French Revolution, yet it was in the very process of that confiscation—an appraisal record drawn up by the revolutionary government in 1794—that the name “Romanée-Conti” was first written down. The nobleman’s name was inscribed in the paperwork of the government that was seizing his property.
  • The domaine has been carried forward by the same family line since Jacques-Marie Duvault-Blochet acquired the vineyard in 1869. Aubert de Villaine, who served for decades as co-director in the latter half of the 20th century, also built a domaine of his own in the village of Bouzeron, in the Côte Chalonnaise.

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