What happened during Septembers auctions? In summary, it was a particularly buoyant month with a clear up tick meaning the end of the year is approaching. Burgundy’s biggest stars, along with a few natural-wine gems from Auvergne, shone brightly. Let’s dive in deeper!
September’s auctions in a few key figures
General sales figures
- 14,170 lots sold (+11.4% compared with the previous year)
- €3.57 m total hammer price, including commission (+16.7% vs 2025)
- Average price per lot: €252 (median: €113)
- 405 lots went under the hammer for over €1,000 per bottle
- Regional breakdown by value:
. 1. Burgundy, well out in front with €1.66m (46% of the total).
. 2. Bordeaux, with €772k
. 3. The Loire Valley, with €405k
. 4. Champagne, 244 k€ - French buyers bought 40% of the lots sold
Highest prices
- 2017 Romanée-Conti Grand Cru, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti: €17,235 (+11%)
- 1990 Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Amoureuses, Georges Roumier, 2 bottles: €13,712 (+40%)
- 1988 Musigny Grand Cru, Georges Roumier: €12,832 (+70%)
- 1982 Richebourg, Henri Jayer: €10,316
- 1991 Hermitage Cuvée Cathelin, Jean-Louis Chave: €9,309 (+48%)
Impressive results
- 1993 Clos de la Roche, Dujac, 2 bottles: €8,806 (Price estimate doubled, +100%)
- 2002 Chablis Grand Cru Clos, Raveneau, magnum: €4,655 (+117%)
- 1985 Clos Saint-Jacques, Armand Rousseau: €3,397 (+141%)
- 1947 Cheval Blanc in half-bottle: €5,158 (+81%)
- 1990 Volnay Premier Cru Les Caillerets, Pousse d’Or: €1,258 (+253%)
- 1996 Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Clos Saint-Jean, Michel Niellon: €503 (+517%)
- 1974 Barolo, Giacomo Mascarello: +504%
- 1979 Richebourg Grand Cru, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, magnum: €5,094 (+70%)
- 1990 Morey-Saint-Denis Premier Cru Clos de la Bussière, Georges Roumier: €1,321 (+321%)
- 1990 Richebourg Grand Cru, Jean Gros: €2,038 (+197%)
Burgundy: in a class of its own at auction
3,762 lots of Burgundy went under the hammer in September, totalling 5,587 bottles (31% of all lots sold). 267 lots were sold for over €1,000 a bottle, making Burgundy by far the region with the most €1,000+ lots. These lots also accounted for 42% of the total value for Burgundy wines that went under the hammer, with the region being largely driven by a handful of very high‑priced lots (7%). The average bottle price (scaled to 750ml) is €253, compared with €104 across all other regions (excluding Burgundy). This predominance of a small number of top priced lots in the overall figures is also evident when viewed by wine classification: grand crus account for 21% of the lots, but 42% of the total value. Finally, if we look at the estates present, of the 912 sold, the top 10 account for 50% of the total value! Unsurprisingly, these are the illustrious names of the estates Coche-Dury, Armand Rousseau, Georges Roumier, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Leflaive, Dujac, Raveneau, Bizot, Prieuré-Roch and Comtes Lafon.
Among the region’s standout results were a 2017 Romanée-Conti, which was sold for €17,235 to a Portuguese collector (+11%); a 1988 Musigny from Georges Roumier that was auctioned for €12,832 (+70%); and a 1990 Chambertin from Armand Rousseau at €4,403 (+26%). At slightly lower price points, there was impressive momentum for a 2019 Nuits-Saint-Georges from Arnoux-Lachaux at €409 (+40%); a 2009 Chambertin Clos de Bèze from Pacalet at €503 (+147%); and a 2023 Gevrey-Chambertin En Billard from the estate Si Tu Sais at €141, a natural micro-négoce founded in 2020.
Auvergne’s particularly sought-after hidden gems
Auvergne, which has been all the rage in recent years – propelled by the natural wine movement, which is especially prominent across its region, and by the diversification of regions beloved by wine lovers – once again distinguished itself at the September auctions.
A magnum of Patrick Bouju’s 2017 Vin de France A la Natural was auctioned for €1,321. This is a rare wine, the result of a cult collaboration between Patrick Bouju and Action Bronson (an American rapper). The wine is a blend of 80% Beaujolais Gamay and 20% Chardonnay, made using whole-bunch fermentation.
As well as this rare bottle, you’ll find the usual Auvergne stars at auction: Pierre Beauger, for example, with a 2017 Vin de France SB that went under the hammer for €428 (+70%); Aurélien Lefort with his 2024 Vin de France KatZo, which sold for €302, and his 2022 Vin de France Coeur Brisé at €189 (+7%); and l’Arbre Blanc with the 2018 Vin de France Ma Carotte, which went under the hammer for €95 (+25%).
Also worth noting are even rarer wines, virtually unseen at auction (and in fact almost impossible to find), such as the Vin de France ‘Cépage Saint-Georges’ from Domaine de Peyra, which went under the hammer for €619. This négociant venture producing natural wine was run by Stéphane Majeune, Jean Maupertuis and Boris Garnier, and it existed for just a few years, from 2000 to 2007. The wines from Thierry Renard are increasingly making their mark at auction, as seen with the 2020 Vin de France Renards des Côtes, which went under the hammer for €170, and those of Benoit Rosenberger, such as the 2022 Vin de France Rat de Cave, which sold for €88.
iDealwine Auctions are clear proof that, when winemakers’ talent and vision combine with the rarity of the wines produced, no wine region escapes the appetite of wine lovers.
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Auction report: The Loire Valley, Jura or Champagne, which region is the most dynamic?
