In Burgundy, rarity continues to cause a stir with unexpected bids. An unfindable 2001 Musigny by Leroy has taken the lead over a Romanée-Conti grand cru, no less. A Swiss buyer placed a bid of €17,499 for the former in one of our most recent auctions, thus replacing the bottle of 2006 Romanée-Conti (€13,269) for the top sale of the year so far. This just goes to show how far prices can reach when it comes to the Côte de Nuits’ most coveted cuvées. In this respect, Musigny remains the most prized appellation for wine enthusiasts around the world, as is confirmed by the sale of a 2002 vintage from Georges Roumier which went for €8,473 (+33%). However, it is worth noting that prices seem to be stabilising at the highest level for some of the region’s icons. This is the case most notably for La Tâche, a monopoly of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.
In Bordeaux, another battle of legends has been fought out over the month of August, and this was between some of Sauternes’ most precious treasures. On one side we had the incomparable Château d’Yquem, a 1950 vintage from which went for €1,228, and on the other was a collectors’ cuvée from Château d’Arche…a cuvée that pipped the star of Sauternes to the post! In a rare 19th century vintage, this restored bottle of 1893 Château d’Arche reached a price of €1,474 at auction. Moving on from dessert wines, there was quite a lot of activity in general for Bordeaux’s grands crus throughout last month’s sales. A few huge formats attracted the attention of bidders: a 2003 imperial of Mouton-Rothschild sold for €4,052 (+14%), whilst a Nebuchadnezzar (15 litres, the equivalent of 20 bottles) of 2015 Pontet Canet went under the hammer for €3,070 (+9%). An impressive increase was seen for a 1947 Magnum from Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande which received a top bid of €1,719, representing a 41% increase. Also noteworthy is the sale of a double-magnum of Château Lynch-Bages in the 2000 vintage which sold for €909 (+37%). There’s clearly no end in sight for the success of more generous bottles. We really recommend having some magnums, jeroboams and imperials of your favourite grands crus as part of your investment cellar. The wine will be even better once it is opened. And if, by chance, you don’t end up drinking it yourself, these bottles tend to gain in value when sold in a few years’ time.
Are you thinking about selling some of the precious contents of your cellar? Get in touch with our expert selling team who will provide a free and confidential estimate for your cellar in just a few days. They will also accompany you throughout the selling process. Of course, our sales are certainly not limited to the big names of Bordeaux and Burgundy, with wine enthusiasts across the world seeking a whole range of bottles.
See the full auction report with details of top bids, region by region
Read all of our previous auction reports here
