
In December 2024, the Champagne region proved particularly popular with wine enthusiasts. iDealwine’s end-of-year catalogues were packed with rare bottles, attracting a flurry of fine bids. Read on to find out more.
2024 was not a good year for Champagne sales – which fell as predicted, by 9% – however, it ended on a positive note for the French market, with an upturn in the run-up to Christmas and the festive season. Furthermore, the average market price rose slightly, by 2.7%. On the secondary auction market, this upturn resulted in some fine sales, driven by buoyant demand.
Rare collector’s Champagnes
What’s amazing about auctions is their capacity to unearth bottles that are virtually impossible to find. This was once again the case in December, with some real collector’s items appearing in iDealwine’s catalogues. Among the truly rare Champagnes that went under the hammer, those from Salon stand out. This Champagne house produces just one, microscopically small-yield Blanc de Blancs from the Côte des Blancs. What makes it special? Only around thirty vintages have been produced since the early 1910s! That gives you an idea of how hard it is to come by these bottles. A 2008 magnum broke through the €4,000 barrier, selling for exactly €4,006 (+47%). The 1999, again in a magnum, fetched €2,504. However, these large formats were not the only ones to achieve good results. A bottle from 1996 and another from 1983 both sold for €1,565, up 25% and 56% respectively on their usual prices. The 2002, an iconic vintage in Champagne, sold for €1,177 (+8%).
Among the old and impossible-to-find collector’s items that appeared for auction on iDealwine, a bottle of Laurent Perrier in the rare 1976 vintage went for €501, well above its estimate of €180. Known for being a scorching year, this vintage had a strong appeal among enthusiasts. We should also mention the 1986 Pol Roger “Sir Winston Churchill”, which fetched an identical amount (€501, +38%).
Glorious results for prestigious houses
Champagne’s iconic names also generated real excitement. Take Bollinger, for instance, whose timeless “Les Vieilles Vignes Françaises” came up for auction. Coming from a plot of pre-phylloxera vines, this is an ethereal wine of legendary finesse. A bottle from the 2008 vintage sold for €1,690 (+48%), while the 2012 went for €1,222 (+8%). Bollinger’s R.D. also achieved superb results – a 1988 magnum was auctioned for €964, a 1996 for €789 (+13%) and a 1990 for €639 (+6%).
As for Dom Pérignon, it remains a sure bet. A magnum of 1996 sold for €1,102 (+16%). In the 750 ml category, some old vintages resurfaced – a 1955 sold for €626 (+94%) and a 1973 for €601 (+14%). Plénitude 2 (or “P2”), which is aged twice as long in the cellar before being disgorged, drew a winning bid of €426 (+6%) for the 2003 vintage.
Another world-renowned name, Selosse, was represented by some superb bottles, for which bidders fought hard. The 2008 Extra-Brut Premier Cru Millésime Jacques Selosse soared to €2,254 (+10%), while the 1988 Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs topped out at an equally impressive €1,941 (+61%).
Krug, which is always a firm favourite with enthusiasts, stood out with its famous Clos du Mesnil cuvée, which came up in the 2008 vintage and sold for €1,753. A magnum of Ruinart’s L’Exclusive in a case sold for €814, while a bottle of 1966 Roederer Cristal fetched €814. Last but not least, you had to spend €438 at auction to buy the 1988 vintage of Taittinger’s Comtes de Champagne (+9%).
Biodynamic and low-intervention Champagnes
Among the names that have been shaking things up in Champagne for several years now, Cédric Bouchard attracted some fine bids for his single-terroir wines grown in micro-vineyards à la bourguignonne. The Cuvée Inédite RDJ Numéro 2 particularly stood out and sold for €1,002. Other names include Frédéric Savart (Haute Couture 2018, €313), Raphaël Bérêche (Premier Cru Le Cran 2010, €150, +129%), Ulysse Collin (Le Jardin d’Ulysse, €588, +9%), De Sousa (Umami, €417 for a magnum), Pierre Peters (Cuvée Spéciale Les Chétillons Blanc de Blancs 2004, €363), and Aurélien Lurquin (Pinot Noir Les Forcières 2019, €300).
Elise Bougy (Sauver Ma Peau 2021, €140) was one of several producers starting to make a name for themselves in this category. Emilien Feneuil’s wines were also successful in iDealwine auctions in December. Some interesting magnums came up for sale, including Les Goulats 2015 and Totum 2015, both of which sold for €238, as well as Les Puits 2015 (€213) and Les Basses Croix Blanc de Blancs 2016 (€200).
One thing we can say for sure is that wine enthusiasts remain on the lookout for great bottles of Champagne.