There are more and more wine enthusiasts favouring natural production, and iDealwine is forging a speciality in this sector. Here were the best results from our February auctions.
There has been no rest for wine lovers seeking rare bottles…and the February auctions were bursting with such treasures, particularly those of a natural kind. For these wines that are produced without sulphur, in the most natural way possible, people are turning to the Loire, home to one of the most prominent producers. A precursor of this unstoppable movement, Clos Rougeard in Saumur-Champigny is the flagship domain. Even if prices are settling, there were some especially good results in February, for example a 1995 Magnum of Le Bourg, bought by a Swiss client for €1,374 (+17%). In the same sector, Domaine Stéphane Bernaudeau has continued to do very well. His Les Nourrissons cuvée, from over 100-year-old vines, is now the most coveted. It was sold for €195 (+32%) in the 2012 vintage, whilst the 2010 and 2016 each reached €158, and the 2015 €142. Les Onglés, from a 2-hectare parcel exposed to the south-east sold for €122 in its 2016 vintage, and Les Terres Blancs for €116. These results mark incredible growth for these wines, all sold under the ‘Vin de France’ label. Still in Anjou, wines from Richard Leroy are becoming a reference point, and his Les Noels de Montbenault cuvée reached €182 in its 2014 vintage (+19%).
Another landmark domain of this region, Dagueneau in Pouilly-Fumé, saw its 2015 Astéroide cuvée soar to €912 (+35%), going to a happy buyer in the UK.
In Bourgueil we should note the breakthrough of Pierre Gauthier’s Domaine du Bel Air, whose Clos Nouveau has seen a significant boost in interest in recent times. And the prices are rising, with the 2014 selling for €185 and the 2015 for €158. A domain to watch!
As for other regions, the wines from Domaine Overnoy in the Jura continue to attract high bids, even if the biggest price leaps are behind us – the 2004 Arbois Pupillin Vieux Savagnin Ouillé, 50cl, went for €395, an increase of 12%. During this time, the microscopic Domaine des Miroirs has been flying from record to record: the 2013 Entre Deux Bleus sold for €523, the 2014 Ja Nai for €462, and the 2013 Sonorité du vent for €353. In Auvergne, the 2016 Orbs cuvée by Mito Inoué went for €161 – these kinds of wines are particularly coveted by consumers in northern Europe (Denmark, Sweden). Another home to natural wines is Beaujolais, which is very rarely represented at auction (just over 100 of the 8,108 lots sold in February). However, we should note the nice sum of €219 reached by a magnum of Jean Foillard’s 3.14 cuvée in its 2010 vintage. An exceptional bottle.
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