Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in France is one of the world’s top wine estates, producing the most expensive wines in the world. A bottle of 1945 vintage wine produced by the estate recently fetched a record-breaking price of over $810,000 at an auction in New York, setting a new record for the highest price ever paid for a bottle of wine.
Acker, the oldest wine merchant in the United States and the largest rare wine auction house globally, announced in a press release on March 30 that a 750ml bottle of 1945 Romanée-Conti wine was sold at their auction in New York over the weekend for a record-breaking price of $812,500.
This sale price surpassed the previous world record of $558,000 set in 2018, solidifying the 1945 vintage wine’s coveted status in the history of wine collecting.
The bottle auctioned off was originally part of the private wine cellar of Robert Drouhin, the third-generation head of the renowned Maison Joseph Drouhin estate in Burgundy, central France.
The 1945 Romanée-Conti wine was the last vintage produced by the estate before replanting its oldest vines. These vines had endured the phylloxera pest, two world wars, and nearly a century of Burgundian history.
Due to extremely limited production, the existing wines from this vintage have always been considered the pinnacle of wine collecting. Many connoisseurs believe that the vines before the phylloxera infestation imparted unparalleled depth and complexity to this wine.
The 1945 Romanée-Conti wine has consistently set record-breaking prices at auctions, thanks to its exceptional provenance, legendary rarity, and status as the last wine produced by the estate before vine replanting.
Regarding the creation of the new world record for the highest price at auction, Acker Auctions President John Kapon stated that the wine truly holds such immense value.
He said, “We made history this weekend. I have had the privilege of tasting the 1945 Romanée-Conti wine only three times in my life, and it is the best wine I have ever tasted. This extraordinary auction is just one of the hundreds of record achievements, underscoring the accelerating demand in the high-end fine wine market for top-notch vintages.”
Founded in 1820, Acker Auctions has now entered its third century of history, with operations spanning across the United States, Europe, and Asia.