In recent auctions, some long-standing natural wine icons have witnessed great evolution as is the case for Domaine Overnoy and Yvon Métras. Furthermore, both of them saw price records be broken for their wines.
The auction market is no longer in the same rapturous phase it was in 2021-2022, but that is not to say that the market is stagnant as the prices for some wines are still flourishing and even experiencing the same dynamism as back then. This is particularly the case for what we could call “classic” natural wine in the sense that these estates have been the front runners for several decades now and they are not part of the latest natural wine wave. Domaine Overnoy-Houillon in Jura and Yvon Métras in Beaujolais are two very good examples of this. They are both iconic estates and forerunners of the natural wine movement that have since inspired many other producers.
Overnoy-Houillon: Mature Savagnins out in front with new price records during summer
Domaine Overnoy-Houillon, the king of fine natural wine from Jura since the 1970s, is the undeniable leader of the movement in the region and places high up on the list of the most sought-after Jura wine at auction. Emmanuel Houillon-Overnoy, who took over the estate in 2001, continues to produce exquisite wine from the property’s 6.5 hectares, a production size that is evidently smaller than the global demand for these wines. This explains why the prices of his fine wines remain very stable or even increase despite the market changing overall.
The estate’s Savagnins are especially coveted. For example, during July 2024, the wine Arbois Pupillin Savagnin with its prolonged maturation was auction for €525 for its 2010 vintage (+2%) and €519 for its 2011 vintage (+26%). We should point out that this exceptional wine was only produced in these two vintages. It’s a Savagnin ouillé (meaning topped-up in English) that was matured for 8 years for the 2010 and 6 years for the 2011. This long maturation period creates a wine with a very subtle touch of oxidation without creating an oxidative style. His other Savagnins are also beloved; a 500ml bottle of 2000 Arbois Pupillin Vieux Savagnin Ouillé, which is also matured for quite a long time, was sold for €501 (which would be €751.50 when scaled to a standard 750ml bottle), a price increase of 7% and its highest ever level seen on iDealwine. And the “simple” Arbois Pupillin Savagnin with a yellow wax seal went under the hammer for €476 (+9%).
While the estate’s Savagnin wines may be the most sought-after, that is not to say the others it produces are ignored. The macerated Arbois Pupillin Chardonnay (with a grey wax seal) from the 2010 vintage was bought for €513, while a 2015 Arbois Pupillin Chardonnay produced using prolonged maceration was auctioned for €463 (+3%). As for the property’s red wines, a bottle of 2018 Arbois Pupillin Poulsard with a red wax seal was sold for €401.
Yvon Métras: Large formats hit new heights
Another major, long-standing figure of the nature wine movement in France is Yvon Métras. This symbolic Beaujolais estate and the fine natural wine it has created since the 1980s, which is today run by Yvon’s son, Jules, has been the most popular Beaujolais producer at auction for several years now.
During July, several magnums of its flagship wine, L’Ultime, hit new heights at auction. A magnum of 2009 Fleurie L’Ultime was sold for €626 (equalling €313 for a standard 750ml bottle) which was 90.8% above its estimated value. Another magnum, this time from the 2003 vintages, was auctioned for €576 (equalling €288 for a standard bottle), registering an increase of 132%. It should be said that this wine is rare, produced only in the greatest vintages and from the property’s oldest vines, some of which date back to the end of the 19th century, and it does not appear very often at auction which could explain the difference between its estimated price and hammer price. This phenomenon also exists for the estate’s other wines which are less rare but large formats of them have outperformed their estimates this summer. A magnum of 2020 Moulin à Vent was auctioned for €125 (or €62.50 for a standard bottle), a 20% increase compared to its estimated price.
