La Tache: Vineyards, Best Wines, Prices (2024)

by Anthony Zhang

Keen on exploring the beautiful La Tache wines and the secret behind their divine perfection?

La Tache (pronounced as “la tash”) is the monopole vineyard of the renowned Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. La Tache wine is considered as a true Burgundy masterpiece - the result of excellent winemaking at consistently high quality (even the lowest-rated vintages!)

But what makes the exclusive La Tache wine highly desirable by wine lovers and collectors around the world?

Let’s find out what’s so special about the La Tache vineyards, The Best DRC La Tache Wines, and how you can Easily Invest In This Collectible Wine.

A Quick Intro to La Tache

Vosne-Romance village in Cote de Nuits

The La Tache vineyard is situated in the Vosne-Romanee village of the Cote de Nuits appellation in Northern Cote d’Or - the heart of Burgundy, France.

The vineyard is near the Cote d’Or village of Nuits-Saint-Georges and is a holding of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, which also owns plots in the following appellations:

Romanée-St-Vivant
Richebourg
Échezeaux
Grands Échezeaux
Montrachet (DRC’s only Chardonnay vines located in Cote de Beaune)

La Tache is classified as a Grand Cru vineyard, and it produces elegant, velvety Pinot Noir wine. What makes La Tache wine stand out compared to the flagship wine of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti is its bold, and concentrated character (since La Tache is made with fruit from younger vines.)

The name Tache means “task” in French and is associated with the manual harvesting techniques practiced in the vineyard.

The annual production of La Tache is small - around 1,500 cases a year which makes it even harder to obtain a bottle of this fine wine.

So, what’s the history behind the La Tache appellation?

La Tache - A Brief History

La Tache was a vineyard holding for centuries and had multiple owners.

First, it was a property of the Abbey Saint-Vivant. In 1631, Philippe de Croonembourg bought both La Tache and Romanée-Conti (called La Romanee at the time) from the Abbey.

In 1760 Prince Conti acquired the vineyard holdings, in 1791, he sold them to the Marey family (who also owned Romanee-Saint-Vivant.)

During the French Revolution, the vineyards became a property of the State.

Eventually, the vineyard was acquired by the owners of Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair. At the time, the AOC committee merged parts of the Premier Cru Les Gaudichot vineyard with La Tache, to which Liger-Belair disagreed.

In 1933, two years after Liger-Belair’s death, the famous Burgundy estate Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (owned by the de Villaine family) purchased La Tache. This way, de Villaine was able to expand their Cote d’Or vineyard portfolio.

In 1985, DRC winemakers started to introduce biofarming techniques at the La Tache Grand Cru vineyard holdings.

‍So what makes the La Tache vineyards so unique?

The La Tache Vineyards

The La Tache Grand Cru vineyards are small - around 6 hectares in size. However, they’re much bigger than the other Vosne-Romanee vineyard holdings.

La Tache is located between the La Grande Rue Grand Cru vineyard and other Premier Cru vineyards.

The vineyard sits on an elevated slope with varying soil composition and terroir. The upper sections consist of pebble and limestone soils which allow for good water drainage, while the lower slopes have higher clay content and retain water.

This way, the winemakers can choose whether to pick fruit from the higher or lower sections depending on the vintage characteristics. This allows them to create a masterful blend of Pinot Noir that meets the high Grand Cru standards regardless of the growing season conditions.

The wines also have great longevity thanks to the aging in new French oak barrels, which lasts for 12-18 months.

Even though almost all La Tache vintages are of superior quality, some are more popular than the others. Let’s see which La Tache wines you should look out for.

The Best La Tache Vintages to Buy in 2024

We picked the best La Tache wines you can get a hold of in 2024:

1. Domaine Liger-Belair La Tache Grand Cru 1921

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This exquisite Grand Cru red wine has an elegant cherry fruit flavor accompanied by soft tannin levels and aromas like perfumed fireworks. The bottle has preserved well over the decades and has gentle earthy undertones.

Price of Domaine Liger-Belair La Tache Grand Cru 1921: $4,770

2. Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache Grand Cru Monopole 1962

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Here we have a well-balanced floral Burgundy wine with fresh acidity and pepper hints. On the palate, the red fruit flavors are overpowered by violet, cherry, and rose petal notes.

Price of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache Grand Cru Monopole 1962: $13,493

3. Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache Grand Cru Monopole 1964

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This Grand Cru fine wine has an amazing coniferous forest floor aroma accompanied by a beguiling sense of blood orange. A swirl of exotic spices and cherry fruit transition into a soft but distinct tannic clout on the palate.

Price of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache Grand Cru Monopole 1964: $5,478

4. Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache Grand Cru Monopole 1978

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Upon opening a bottle of the 1978 vintage, you’re introduced to perfumed fireworks of rose petal aromas. On the palate, layers of red fruit, and strawberry transition into a long-lasting earthy finish.

Price of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache Grand Cru Monopole 1978: $7,338

5. Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache Grand Cru Monopole 1990

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This classic Pinot Noir Grand Cru overpowers your senses with a delightful truffle and pepper aroma, and medium tannin levels. The palate offers a concentration of red fruit, black cherry, and rose petal notes.

Price of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache Grand Cru Monopole 1990: $7,662

6. Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache Grand Cru Monopole 1999

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This smooth and elegant Pinot Noir from the 1999 vintage still shows youthful austerity and can be stored for the decades ahead. The nose is perfumed with violet and rose petal hints. On the palate, the vivid cherry flavor is accompanied by sweet spice aroma and intense tannic clout.

Price of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache Grand Cru Monopole 1999: $7,150

7. Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache Grand Cru Monopole 2005

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The 2005 vintage stands out with an opulent nose of cigar, leather, and truffle. The red wine opens up with layered flavors of cherry, red fruit, and cassis that transition into a soft but long-lasting finish.

Price of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache Grand Cru Monopole 2005: $8,379

8. Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache Grand Cru Monopole 2009

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This vintage offers bright acidity, supple tannins, and bold character. On the palate, violet, red currant, cherry, and blood orange are followed by earthy undertones and cigar hints.

Price of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache Grand Cru Monopole 2009: $5,446

9. Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache Grand Cru Monopole 2015

This breathtaking La Tache showcases a silky mouthfeel, and youthful austerity with notes of black cherry, plum, and blackberry. The nose is complex with exotic spices and a coniferous forest floor aroma.

Price of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache Grand Cru Monopole 2015: $6,144

10. Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache Grand Cru Monopole 2016

The 2016 DRC La Tache vintage is a great showcase of the La Tache wine’s elegant and beguiling sense. An aromatic fruit bouquet of blackberry, red fruit, and wild strawberry is followed by cigar hints and earthy undertones.

Price of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache Grand Cru Monopole 2016: $5,271

Before we move onto the investing potential of La Tache wines, here are some fun facts:

La Tache is also the name of an American beer called “The Beer Formerly Known as La Tache”. The beer is made by the Ale Apothecary Brewery.

This is a 100% malted barley beer with a pleasant fermented orchard fruit nose and lemon citrus flavors. The beer also has a pleasant soft lactic acid finish and concentrated hops aromas.

You’ll also find cigars branded as L'Atelier Cote d'Or La Tache which are made in Nicaragua.

Now, let’s look at the investment prospects of the La Tache wine.

Investing in Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tache Wines

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tache wines are a great investment choice desired by enthusiasts worldwide.

A bottle of La Tache can easily age for 20-30 years and sometimes more - thanks to aging in oak barrels. Their longevity, consistently high quality, and scarcity make them one among the most expensive wines in the world.

Over the years, DRC La Tache wines have shown notable price appreciation:

Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache Grand Cru Monopole 1964 went up by 84% from $2,967 in 2019 to $5,468 in 2021.
Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache Grand Cru Monopole 2005 is also steadily increasing in value. It’s price spiked by 17% from $6,245 in 2019 to $7,347 in 2021.

At auctions, La Tache is a true gem.

At a 2020 Sotheby’s auction in London, 12 bottles of La Tache 1988 were sold for a whopping $63,901.
At the same auction, another lot of 8 La Tache bottles from the 1978 vintage sold for $47,085.

To decide whether you want to buy a more recent or older vintage of these great wines, think about whether you want to invest and sell the bottle later or you just want to enjoy it right away.

If you’re buying La Tache strictly for investing purposes, consider the most recent vintages released after 2000.
If you want a La Tache that you can both invest in and drink, aim for the 1990s vintages.
If you want a rare bottle of La Tache for your wine collection or to enjoy, look for vintages from the second half of the 20th century. These wines command high prices and can also be very profitable to sell.

However, they are very scarce.

Buying such a rare bottle could be quite challenging, and there’s a good chance that you’ll also stumble upon a counterfeit bottle or two!

So, how do you get an authentic bottle of a rare La Tache without having to wait for the next auction?

Buy DRC La Tache and Other Fine Wines Through Vinovest

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La Tache: A True Gem in Your Wine Collection

The La Tache DRC Grand Cru wine has an enigmatic power and is held in high regard in the wine world. The combination of DRC’s winemaking craft and La Tache’s unique terroir produces some of the best Pinot Noir wines in Bourgogne.

However, they’re produced only in limited numbers each year. This can make getting a special La Tache for your collection more challenging than ever.

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