What did we learn from February’s auctions? Discover the latest trends from stabilisation in Burgundy to growth for Jura’s natural wines and Champagne.
PRICES FOR FINE BURGUNDIES STABALISE
It’s been a few months now since we first witnessed the prices of Burgundy wines, especially for the most expensive bottles and the ones that saw their prices skyrocket in the first three quarters of 2022, stabilise, or even drop slightly (though still remaining higher than they were at the start of this year).
Wines from Domaine d’Auvenay have particularly steadied – at a high level, admittedly. A bottle of Meursault Premier Cru les Gouttes d’Or 2007 sold for €7,440 in February, even though its estimated value in 2022 was €8,184.
Domaine Leroy’s wine have stabilised at their highest level. A Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Les Beaux-Monts 2011 was sold at auction for €4,464 (+22% compared to its estimated value), which is its second highest price after its record of €4,755 in May 2022. The same can be said about Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and numerous others.
DOMAINE DES HORÉES CONTINUES TO GROW
That being said, this overall respite for fine wine from Burgundy on the market must not hide the fact that some names are still seeing their prices grow. This is exactly what is happening to Domaine des Horées, a real rising star in the region. The micro-domain of a little over a hectare was created in 2019 by Catharina Sadde, a young winemaker originally from Germany who learnt her trade at Domaine de la Romanée Conti, Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé and Domaine Marquis d’Angerville. The wines created at the domain are all natural (with the tiniest amount of added sulphur). Her Gevrey-Chambertin En Reniard 2019 sold for €868 in February (+8%).
JURA’S GREAT NATURAL WINES HAVEN’T HEARD ABOUT THE ECONOMY
Jura is one of the regions where, even if the prices have calmed, they still seem to be growing, especially for the finest natural wines. We can see this when looking at the region’s highest-priced domain, Domaine des Miroirs, whose Vin de France Le Berceau 2015 obtained a record price of €1,550 in February (+32%). Equally, natural-wine-producing Allante Boulanger saw the price of their wines literally explode at auction last month. A bottle of Vin de France Savagnin 2018 went under the hammer for €1,066 in February, while this same wine sold for €74 in 2021. Allante Boulanger is a small, 3.2-hectare domain located in southern Jura, created by two friends who worked together for several years at Domaine Labet. The domain employs biodynamic principals, and its wines are often aged for a long time in old barrels.
CHAMPAGNE, AN EVER-CHANGING REGION
It’s no real surprise that bottles from Salon and Selosse saw their prices remain at very high levels. Cuvée S from the 1985 vintage, for example, sold for €1,922 in February (+87%), while several other names such as Egly-Ouriet, Cédric Bouchard, Vouette & Sorbée, Ulysse Collin, Romain Henin, Jacquesson, and Emilien Feneuil have been particularly dynamic.
BERNAUDEAU, GANGLOFF… PRICES SHOW NO SIGN OF WAVERING
Finally, Domaine Bernaudeau in the Loire and Domaine Gangloff in the Rhône Valley have been on form recently. The first had a great month at auction thanks to its star cuvée Les Nourrissons which attracted enormous interest. The 2013 vintage sold for €397 (+39%) while a bottle from 2015 went under the hammer for €372 (+20%). As for Gangloff, all its wines saw their prices rise. A Côte-Rôtie La Sereine Noire 2016 went for €422 (+94%) and a 2020 was auctioned off at €261 (+11%). Its Côte-Rôtie la Barbarine 2018 obtained €248 (+43%) and its Condrieu from 2020 reached €207 (+85%).
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