Meeting and Dining with the Master

Domaine de la Romanee-Conti - among fans and collectors of wines from Burgundy, the name stands for the reference standard by which all other wines are measured. All Grand Cru wines, this winery is almost impossible to find and even more difficult to visit. No signs, not open to the public, no publicity. The picture I took is from the tiny sign on the doorbell post.

Yet somehow, Orient-Express got us into the winery for a visit hosted by the managing director, Aubert de Villaine. And what a visit! He took us on a walk up into his hillside vineyards.



These are hallowed grounds for people that appreciate Burgundy wines. La Tache. Romanee-Conti. Echezeaux. St. Vivant. Richebourg. The first thing that impresses you is how small the vineyards are. No wonder the production of these Grand Cru wines is so limited. These vineyards are tiny compared to the well known vineyards in Napa and Sonoma.

Next, we were escorted on a tour of the wine cellars. Row after row of barrels and bottles. I couldn't add up the value of the inventory in there, but it must be an enormous sum.




Then out comes the cork screw and Aubert starts to open several bottles for us to taste. Amazing! But we were far from done with our experience. A brief ride back to the barge, a quick shower, and dinner. Our guests for the evening were Aubert and his wife Pamela. Our chef Conn turned out a fantastic meal and the wines were all from Domaine de la Romanee-Conti. It was a once-in-a-lifetime meal. When will we again have a fine meal with FIVE different wines from DRC which the man himself selected to pair with the food.

The final wine of the evening was a 1971 Romanee-Conti. The same year as Aubert and Pamela were married (about two weeks after Caren and I were married). And Aubert and Caren share the same birthday (just a few years apart).


See our wine blog for the menu and list of wines served.