Let’s find out exactly what happened at wine auctions in March, where despite a relatively stable market, some types of wine stood out and continued to attract bids from many a wine lover.
Prices on the rise for Burgundy’s finest white wines
In a relatively stable market, particularly when considering the most expensive wines, it’s worth noting that the finest Burgundy Chardonnays held their own with dynamic prices. This is true, for example, of the Montrachets produced by Leflaive, with a bottle from the 2010 vintage fetching €14,273 (+14%). A 2001 Corton-Charlemagne from Domaine Leroy sold for €9,515, while a 2004 Meursault Pré de Manche from Domaine d’Auvenay fetched €5,133, and a 2011 Meursault Les Narvaux went under the hammer for €4,006 (+31%). Last but not least, the Comtes Lafon estate also recorded high prices: €3,506 (+32%) for a Montrachet from the 2014 vintage, and €3,255 (+17%) for a 2017.
The star of the moment in the Mâconnais, the 2020 Pouilly-Fuissé Croux et Petits Croux from Domaine Guffens-Heynen, sold for €1,127 (+29%).
Bordeaux large formats and mature vintages remained in demand
Older and finer vintages, as well as larger formats, generally pave the way to success when it comes to Bordeaux. And March was no exception to the rule, with prices soaring for this type of lot. This was the case, for example, for a double magnum bottle of 2009 Château Cheval Blanc, which fetched €3,881 (+29%). On the Left Bank, prices also rose for a number of Château Mouton Rothschild lots reaching €3,506 (+26%) for a 2010 double magnum, €3,380 (+35%) for a 2005 double magnum, and €3,255 for a 2009 in the same format. Also noteworthy are Château Gruaud-Larose, with a jeroboam of the legendary 1982 achieving €3,005 (+11%), and Château Lafite Rothschild, with a magnum of the 2000 selling for €1,665 (+9%).
Thierry Allemand, Overnoy and Domaine du Collier: Exceptional natural wines still popular
In other regions, some long-standing star estates clearly didn’t lose any of their appeal. Such was the case, for example, with Domaine Thierry Allemand, with a 2011 Cornas Cuvée Sans Soufre fetching €1,377 per magnum, and €701 (+5%) for a bottle from the 2014 vintage. From Jura, Domaine Overnoy (the birthplace of natural wines along with Beaujolais) remains the grand master, with the 2012 Arbois Pupillin Savagnin (with yellow wax) selling for €1,252 for a magnum (+25%), and a small format (500ml) of 2008 Arbois Pupillin Vieux Savagnin Ouillé even fetching €1,127. From the Loire Valley, Domaine du Collier also recorded a number of higher prices at auction. The 2018 Saumur La Charpentrie, for example, sold for €250 (+110%), while the 2016 fetched €163 (+13%) and the 2015 went for €163 (+86%).
