Cru de grâce: The majesty and mystery of Romanée-Conti

‘Many people come to visit this site and we understand’. That’s what the sign says, but to explain where I am doesn’t immediately lend itself to such a belief. I’m among a vast sloping patchwork of vineyards. Vineyards as far as you can see. A narrow road leads up from a modest church protruding from a cluster of buildings that could only very generously be called a village. At an unremarkable T-junction, a centuries-old, lichen-flecked stone cross rises from a low boundary wall, the only thing resembling a landmark in this area. To its right, a single limestone brick is etched, in an austere serif font, along with the words ‘Romanée Conti’.