Named after its crown-jewel monopole vineyard, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti—often called just DRC, is possibly the most revered Burgundy producer to date. To the extent that the flagship Romanée-Conti often tops the charts as the most expensive wine in the world. Named after previous owner, the Prince of Conti (who won an unprecedented bidding war to call it his own— and then proceeded to stop releasing the wine to the market, keeping it all to himself), the Romanée -Conti vineyard passed to the de Villaine family in 1868. The Domaine, which now owns almost 28 hectares of vineyards, is co-owned by the de Villaine and Leroy families, under the stalwart stewardship of Aubert de Villaine and daughter of the indomitable Lalou Bize-Leroy, Perrine Fenal. Perhaps one of the secrets to their exceptional reputation is the fact that all of their vineyards hold Grand Cru status, with 2 being wholly owned - Romanée-Conti (1.18 ha, producing around 450 cases per year) and La Tâche (6.06 ha). While not monopoles, Richebourg, Romanée-Saint-Vivant, Grands-Échézeaux, Échézeaux and Le Montrachet are shared with some of the finest names in the region. As of 2009, they also lease just over 2 hectares in Corton. Another secret to success is their willingness to embrace viticultural developments - adopting biodynamic farming and using only material from Romanée-Conti to replant their other vineyards, ensuring quality for generations to come.