What are the most sought-after and coveted wines in the world? This is a very difficult question and we’re going to attempt to answer it using iDealwine auction data from 2023. Burgundy, Bordeaux, the Rhône, Champagne, the Loire, Jura and Languedoc are all represented in the Top 50. But why will come out on top? Will it be Romanée-Conti, Château Rayas or Petrus? Let’s find out!

50 of the biggest names in wine generate over half of all auction sales in 2023

Ranking the 50 best-selling estates gives a good indication of the latest general market trends. Hammer prices never exist in isolation and are generally in line with the global economic and geo-political backdrop. The 50 most-coveted producers in 2023’s auctions saw 40,636 bottles (when scaled to 750ml) go under iDealwine’s virtual hammer. This Top 50 concerns just over half (52%) of the auction value, while representing nearly one in every five bottles sold when it comes to volume (amounting to 18% of the sales). It is therefore the value of the wine, rather than its volume, which shapes these rankings. The average price stands at €432 per bottle, nearly three times larger than the overall 2023 auctions (which was €152). Only three winemaking properties crossed the million Euro mark compared to six in 2022 – an impact of the lower prices seen in 2023.

Burgundy takes centre stage

Burgundy bolsters its position in the Top 50 with 24 estates present compared with the 22 seen in 2022. When it comes to the icons from the Côte de Nuits, their positions have been shuffled. Owing to the considerable drop in the volume and the decrease in prices, Burgundy fills five places in the Top 10 (compared to seven the previous year). Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC) retook the top stop which Domaine d’Auvenay had stolen from it the year before. Despite a stable number of bottles (388), DRC saw its value contract by 15%. The same goes for its average price. For Domaine Georges Roumier, the average price fell by 4%, which allowed it to move up two positions in the Top 50, from 8th to 6th place. All other estates suffered considerable drops in price. Domaine d’Auvenay, 1st in 2022, plummeted to 12th because only 133 bottles went under the hammer (compared with 386 in 2022) and its average price fell by 37%. Domaine Leroy, Bizot and Mugnier experienced similar fates, going from 7th to 15th, 9th to 25th, and 23rd to 24th respectively. These four producers all saw their average price fall by more than 30%. The drop is even more drastic for Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux (-50%). Moving on to the producers that were on the rise, four stand-out names known for their fine bottles of Chardonnay all progressed. From Chablis, Raveneau jumped from 15th to 10th and Dauvissat climbed from 42nd to 36th. From the Côte de Beaune, Leflaive went from 22nd to 19th, while Ramonet moved from 33rd to 31st. Domaine Coche-Dury retains its 5th place position despite a 24% reduction in its average price and a smaller 11% decrease in its volume. When looking at producers in the Côte de Nuits, Méo-Camuzet (in 18th), Mugneret-Gibourg (in 21st), Dujac (in 30th), Emmanuel Rouget (in 38th) and Trapet (in 42nd) all progressed. Henri Jayer (in 45th) and Anne Gros (in 49th), both big names, reappeared in the Top 50.

Bordeaux retains the lead

There are 16 Bordeaux properties in the top 50 ranking, the same number it had in 2022. The Médoc crus classés strengthened their position with 10 châteaux, including Château Palmer which is a new entry into the Top 50, landing in 50th place. Apart from Château Pontet-Canet, which lost two places, falling to 47th, some estates rose in the rankings because of an uptick in volume. Château Haut-Brion (in 13th ) and Château La Mission Haut-Brion (in 35th) fly the flag for Pessac-Léognan, while Château d’Yquem is the sole producer from Sauternes. On the Right Bank, Petrus retains its leading position despite a decrease in volume sold (380 bottles compared with 496 in 2022) and an average price that contracted by 15%. In Saint-Émilion, Cheval Blanc (in 16th) and Angélus (in 37th) saw their volumes soar (+35% and +38% respectively), while Pavie was pushed out of the rankings.

The Rhône, Champagne, Loire, Jura and Languedoc

Four key figures from the Rhône Valley feature in the Top 50, two of which moved up the pecking order – Emmanuel Reynaud and his wines, driven by an increase in volumes (with a total of 3,880 bottle – the highest for all producers) and Maison Guigal. Even if Jean-Louis Chave and Domaine Jamet lost a few places, the north of the region remains in the spotlight in this classification. Just two Champagne producers represent the sparkling wine region: Selosse (in 14th) and Dom Pérignon (in 29th). Salon made a fleeting appearance in the Top 50 in 2022, only to drop out again in 2023. The Top 50 still includes one iconic estate from the Loire Valley, Clos Rougeard. In 2023, the number of its bottles sold at auction reduced by a third, causing it to lose several places and end up in 28th. Domaine de la Grange des Pères remains the ambassador for Languedoc, conserving 20th position despite a slight decrease in volumes sold (959 bottles compared with 1,053 in 2022). Among the estates in Jura, both Domaine Overnoy-Houillon (in 41st) and Ganevat (in 44th) slipped down the Top 50, despite maintaining a practically stable price per bottle (-2%). This is a notable exception as we can see that dropping positions is mainly caused by a reduction in the value of the wine. It seems like wine enthusiasts decided to play the long-game, choosing to keep high-value bottles in their collections in 2023.

Below are the 50 most sought-after producers on iDealwine in 2023.