Beaujolais | Highest-priced bottles of 2019 so far

Beaujolais

We head to the south of Burgundy to discover the Beaujolais and its most coveted wines of 2019 so far. The birthplace of natural winemaking and environmentally-friendly methods of viticulture, this region has won over wine lovers with the finesse and deliciousness of its emblematic grape Gamay, its cellaring appellations and, of course, its unbeatable prices.

First of all, let’s remember that, to establish these rankings, we chose only the most expensive vintage of each domain and converted its auction price to a 75 cl bottle format to facilitate comparisons.

Having remained in the shadow of their Burgundian neighbours for a long time, the crus of the Beaujolais have been growing in popularity in recent years. And yet the Gamay grape was originally grown in Burgundy, until 1395 when Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, decided to tear out these vines, considered “vile and disloyal” and to relegate it to the Beaujolais. “Fatal mistake”, some wine lovers say, because many appellations are distinguished by their well-made cellaring wines, which are gaining in popularity beyond France’s borders, even in Asia.

Top 5 Beaujolais bottles

# Highest-priced bottles Price (inc. VAT) per 75cl bottle
1 2 magnum of s Fleurie l’Ultime Yvon Métras 2010 € 197.50
2 1 bottle of  Morgon 3.14 Jean Foillard 2005 € 91
3 1 bottle of  Morgon Georges Descombes  2005 € 73
4 2 bottles of  Morgon Les Impénitents Louis-Claude Desvignes  2017 € 60
5 1 bottle of  Morgon Barton et Guestier 1978 € 58

 

The list highlights the region’s emblematic domains, revealing a ranking that has been somewhat reshuffled compared to 2018. But, like last year, Yvon Métras is in pole position with his rare cuvée, produced only when the vintage allows it: L’Ultime 2010 (2 magnums for €790, or €198 for 75cl, + 8%). In the same vein, Jean Foillard rises on the podium, in second place with his rare Morgon 3.14 in the 2005 vintage, which comes close to the €100  threshold (€91, + 36%). It should be noted that the classification makes fall the preconception that Beaujolais wines are made to drink young. While they are of course delicious in their youth, time also allows them to develop a remarkable complexity. Especially this vintage of the 3.14 cuvée, which gains in density year after year.

Prestigious crus and large formats

Prestigious wines and large formats were fueled bidding wars in this first half of 2019. Thus, appellations reputed for their power and cellaring potential, such as Morgon (10 out of 20) and Moulin-à-Vent (4 out of 20) are widely represented. Louis-Claude Desvignes‘ famed cellaring wine, for instance, the 2017 Morgon Les Impénitents, sold for €60  (+ 45%). That the majority of wines in the rankings are magnums (13 out of 20) confirms the interest for large formats.

Organic, biodynamic and natural wines

Beaujolais is considered the spiritual birthplace of natural winemaking. It is here that Jules Chauvet, king of natural wines, carried out his experiments and brought together other winegrowers with the same vision: Marcel Lapierre (1 magnum of Morgon 2015: €108, so €54  for 75cl, + 64%), Yvon Métras, Jean Foillard, Georges Descombes (2005 Morgon: €73) and Philippe Pacalet (Chénas 2015: €38, + 24%).

While they might not necessarily practice natural vinifications, other domains stand out for their biodynamic viticulture (Jules Desjourneys and his Moulin-à-Vent Les Michelons 2010 sold at €53) and organic farming like Château des Jacques (Moulin-à-Vent 1985: €52, + 49%), the very discreet Domaine de la Grand’cour 2015 (1 magnum of Fleurie Vieilles Vignes Lieu-dit Champagne 2015: €74 , €37 per bottle, + 36%), Château Thivin, Mee Godard, Daniel Bouland and domain Thillardon.

Some new appearances

Some domains are emerging in the region, such as the Burgundian Philippe Pacalet and Mee Godard. The former is nephew of Marcel Lapierre, with whom he learnt the ropes begore going on to work at domain Prieuré Roch, famous signature of the Côte de Nuits. The second is an oenologist who, in 2013, took over the plots of a winemaker without any successor. The wines from this talented winemaker were a success right from the beginning.

This beautiful region, despite growing interest, continues to be attractively-priced: why not have a look at our Beaujolais wines currently for sale?

Read the rest of our regional auction rankings here:

Champagne

Bordeaux

Provence-Corsica

Loire

Alsace

 

20 most expensive Beaujolais bottles of 2019 so far

# Highest-priced bottles  Price (inc. VAT) per 75cl bottle Buying country Buyer profile
1 2 magnums of Fleurie l’Ultime Yvon Métras 2010                       198 € Hong Kong Private
2 1 bottle of  Morgon 3.14 Jean Foillard 2005                         91 € Hong Kong Private
3 1 bottle of  Morgon Georges Descombes  2005                         73 € France Private
4 2 bottles of  Morgon Les Impénitents Louis-Claude Desvignes  2017                         60 € Switzerland Private
5 1 bottle of  Morgon Barton et Guestier 1978                         58 € Hong Kong Private
6 1 magnum of  Morgon Marcel Lapierre  2015                         54 € France Private
7 3 bottles of  Moulin à Vent Les Michelons Jules Desjourneys 2010                         53 € France Private
8 1 bottle of  Moulin à Vent Château des Jacques 1985                         52 € France Private
9 1 magnum of  Morgon Côte de Py Domaine Maurice Gaget 1986                         43 € Japan Private
10 1 bottle of  Chénas Philippe Pacalet 2015                         38 € France Private
11 1 magnum of  Fleurie Grand’cour (Domaine de la) – Jean-Louis Dutraive Vieilles vignes Lieu-dit Champagne 2015                         37 € Switzerland Private
12 1 magnum of  Côte de Brouilly Cuvée Zaccharie Château Thivin 2015                         34 € France Private
13 1 magnum of  Moulin à Vent Les Michelon Mee Godard 2016                         30 € France Private
14 1 magnum of  Morgon Côte du Py Dominique Piron  2009                         29 € France Private
15 1 magnum of  Morgon Côte du Py James Jean-Marc Burgaud  2009                         28 € Belgium Private
16 1 magnum of  Morgon Vieilles Vignes Daniel Bouland  2012                         28 € France Private
17 1 magnum of  Fleurie Cuvée Tardive Clos de la Roilette 2011                         25 € France Private
18 1 magnum of  Morgon Cote du Py Corinne Guillot 2016                         23 € France Private
19 1 magnum of  Chénas Les Vibrations Thillardon 2015                         22 € France Private
20 1 magnum of  Moulin à Vent Les Trois Roches Domaine du Vissoux – P-M. Chermette 2015                         20 € France Private