Here, we take a look at the highest selling wines at iDealwine’s auction closed on 28th October. Bordeaux grands crus classés saw great success, with Haut-Brion 1989 leading the way. Rarer wines from the Rhône Valley (Bonneau), Jura (Perron and Overnoy) and Champagne also performed well.
Bordeaux premiers crus classés did remarkably well at iDealwine’s online auction on October 28. Château Latour, buoyed by the scarcity of its wines, achieved an increase of 7% to €416 for its 1995 vintage. Château Margaux was also highly sought after, including in traditionally less popular years (1993: €298, +20%. 1994: €304, +8%).
The star of the sale however has to be the 1989 Château Haut Brion. Bottles of this wine now have cult status and prices are going up and up. Not content with achieving a score of 100/100 from Robert Parker, who described it as “immortal” in 2003, the 1989, now at its peak, still defies comparison. A recent blind tasting of 16 emblematic wines in Hong Kong proved this once again. On October 28, the 1989 went to a Russian wine lover for €1620. This means a price increase of 56% on its iDealwine listing!
The Château Cheval Blanc 1990 was also in demand. Its price increased by 20% to €800.
In Burgundy, prices for Romanée Conti wines seem to have stabilised at their peak, with some bottles selling slightly below their listed prices. The market -and Asian buyers first and foremost- requires bottles, including the labels, to be perfectly preserved. The slightest blemish, or sign of damp (which indicates good storage conditions nonetheless) can mean a below par listing of up to 20%.
In the Rhône Valley, prices for more recent vintages of Château Rayas Châteauneuf, such as the 2009, also stabilised. On the other hand, wines from Henri Bonneau are still unstoppable. The 1989 Réserve des Célestins went for €720 (+7%), the 2001 for €408 (+40%), the 1998 for €384 (+25%), the 2006 for €324 (+46%), the 2000 for €300 (+39%) and the 2004 for €228 (+48%). The 2005 Cuvée Marie Beurrier meanwhile fetched €228 (+24%).
In the Loire Valley, prices for Clos Rougeard have stopped for breath while Domaine Dagueneau is still fuelling the bidding (€228 for the 1999 Pouilly Fumé Silex, +57%). In Languedoc, the fever for Grange des Pères is calming down, with prices stabilising after months of increases. Of the other regions, the Jura is the surprise this time, achieving record prices for its Château Chalon. A 1982 from Domaine Perron sold for €384 while a 1985 fetched €300. Enthusiasm for Domaine Overnoy’s Cuvée d’ Arbois Pupillon remains keen too, with the 2005 achieving €229, the 2008 fetching €217, the 2009 going for €205 and the 2000 selling at €180.
Finally, it looks like the end of the year will see prices for top Champagne vintages on the increase again. Older years have soared in price with the 1975 Dom Perignon going for €840 (in magnum format) and the 1964 fetching €456 (+31%). Bollinger’s Cuvée Vieilles Vignes Françaises 2000 is worth €552 and magnums of Salon’s famous Cuvée S fetched €660 for the 1999 vintage and €612 for the 1985.
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Read further on iDealwine Le Blog:
- Auction Report: September, Clos Rougeard breaks more world records
- Auction Report 10 & 31 August: summer trends
- Auction Report 20 July: collectable Côte de Nuits from Noellat and Clair-Dau
- Auction Report 15 June: mature vintages from top Burgundy estates on the rise
- Auction Report 1 June: marked success for the big names from the Rhône
- Auction Report 25 May: Top Alsace & Rhône: La Chapelle 1961
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