Historic Sale: 1945 French Wine Bottle Fetches $812,500, Breaking Auction Records

A bottle of 1945 French wine recently set a record at auction, selling for $812,500, as announced by New York wine seller Acker. This vintage, a 1945 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, is exceptionally rare, with only about 600 bottles ever produced, making it a highly sought-after item among wine collectors.

The previous record for a wine sold at auction was held by another bottle of the same vintage, which fetched $558,000 in 2018. This latest sale represents nearly a 50% increase, solidifying the status of the 1945 vintage as the most coveted in the history of wine collecting, as stated by Acker Wines.

The bottle was sourced from the personal cellar of Robert Drouhin, who led the family-owned Maison Joseph Drouhin for almost five decades and played a pivotal role in the Oregon wine industry.

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, located in Burgundy, France, consists of eight vineyards and is renowned for producing some of the world’s most expensive wines. The estate’s most famous vineyard also bears its name and primarily produces red wine from the pinot noir grape. Each year, it yields between 5,000 and 6,000 bottles, but only about 600 were made for the prized 1945 vintage.

This particular vintage is distinguished for being the last produced before the vineyard replanted its oldest vines—some of which survived two world wars. These vines were also pre-phylloxera, indicating their grapes came from plants that had not been genetically modified to resist the phylloxera insect that devastated numerous European vineyards in the late 19th century. Many connoisseurs believe that wines from such pre-phylloxera vines possess a unique depth and complexity.

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti leads the wine auction market in both volume and price, having accounted for 17% of Sotheby’s wine sales last year, significantly surpassing second-place Pétrus at 7%. In 2025, the vineyard set another record with a 12-bottle lot of Romanée Conti 1990 that sold for $449,890 at a Hong Kong auction.

About the Author: Chris Lehoux

Meet Chris Lehoux, an experienced wine connoisseur and dedicated blogger with a deep passion for all things wine-related. With years of expertise in the industry, Chris shares insightful wine reviews, valuable wine tasting tips, expert pairing advice, and captivating tales of vineyard visits. Join Chris on a journey through the world of wine, where every sip is an adventure waiting to be savored!