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A bottle of 1945 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti—the crown jewel of French wines—has shattered records by selling for an astonishing $812,500 at auction, according to New York wine seller Acker. This particular vintage is part of an incredibly limited production, with only about 600 bottles made.

This recent sale marks a nearly 50% increase from the previous record, set by another bottle of the same vintage in 2018 for $558,000. Acker emphasized that the 1945 vintage is now considered the most sought-after collectible in wine history.

The historic bottle originated from the personal cellar of Robert Drouhin, distinguished for his nearly 50-year leadership of Maison Joseph Drouhin, a prominent French wine house. Drouhin played a key role in shaping the Oregon wine industry as well.

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, located in Burgundy, consists of eight vineyards and is renowned for its exceptional red wine, primarily sourced from the pinot noir grape. This estate is one of the most prestigious in the realm of wine collecting, with Romanée-Conti alone producing between 5,000 and 6,000 bottles annually. However, the 1945 vintage’s scarcity and its extraordinary pedigree enhance its allure.

This vintage’s fame is partly due to the fact that it was the last produced before Romanée-Conti replanted its oldest vines, which had survived through two world wars and represented nearly a century of viticultural history. Moreover, wine produced from pre-phylloxera vines—those that had not been genetically altered resistant to the destructive phylloxera insect—tends to possess an unmatched complexity, further driving up its desirability.

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti has consistently dominated auction sales, accounting for a whopping 17% of Sotheby’s wine sales volume last year, significantly outpacing its closest competitor, Pétrus, which held only 7%. The vineyard also holds the record for the highest price achieved for a lot at any auction house in 2025, with a 12-bottle lot of Romanée-Conti 1990 fetching $449,890 in Hong Kong.

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