During the first half of 2017, wines from the Rhône represented 13% of the volumes sold at auction on iDealwine. Here are the TOP 20 cuvées which have recorded the highest price rises since the beginning of the year. The Rhône is the first stop of this “Tour de France” of great domains.

After an eclipse in the auction market, due partly to soaring prices on great Burgundy wines, Rhône wines are gradually regaining the front of the scenes. The WineDex® Rhône indices, fueled in particular by US demand, recorded an increase of 4.18% in the first half of 2017. We went through all the wines auctioned on our platform during the past months, in order to put forward the ones which recorded the highest bids. To establish this ranking and above all to give you an overview of the most sought-after domains sold at the moment, we chose for each winemaker the most expensive cuvée. Thus, we can draw a ranking of 20 domains, represented by their most iconic wines.

At first sight, the distribution between northern and southern wines seems strictly equal. From the South, purchasers were particularly fond of wines from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, which claims the lion’s share (9 wines out of 10). The selection is more eclectic in the North with bottles from Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie and Cornas. However, the most expensive wine of the ranking is from the North part of the region, with the Ermitage Cathelin from Jean-Louis Chave, auctioned at €3,000 for the 1998 vintage. Not surprising for this very specific wine, which has been produced in eight vintages only so far, four of which have been awarded 100/100 by Robert Parker.

Among the North Rhône wines, the two main names from Hermitage, Jaboulet and Chapoutier, are of course among the best, reaching respectively the 4^th and 7^th place. From Côte-Rôtie, La Landonne 1990 from Guigal (€504, 5^th) is closely followed by Côte Brune 1999 from Jamet (€490, 6^th). Represented by special cuvées, Ogier (La Belle Hélène 2010, €300, 13^th) and Rostaing (Côte Blonde 1999 €252, 16^th), complete the ranking with special or plot-by-plot cuvées.

From Châteauneuf, the most expensive wine, ranking 2^nd of this TOP 20, comes from a domain that produces only one wine: Château Rayas, represented by the 1978 cult vintage (€1,260). The other domains from Châteauneuf are represented by their “prestige” cuvées, produced only when climatic conditions allow it. Domaine de La Mordorée La Plume du Peintre 2005 ranks 8^th (€432), followed by Domaine de Pegaü Da Capo 2000 (€408), equally-ranked with the iconic “Hommage à Jacques Perrin” 2007 from Château de Beaucastel, and finally Roger Sabon Secret des Sabon 1998 (€390), which ranks 11^th.

Of course, this TOP 20 confirms the success of leading appellations, but also assesses the emergence of certain plots. From the North, three names represent Cornas and from the South, Gigondas stands out with Hominis Fides 2007 from Domaine Saint-Cosme (€228). The 100/100 by Robert Parker may be a factor explaining its 18^th position in this ranking.

The scarcity contributes widely to a wine’s success, indeed, this ranking counts two wines from domains of which the owner has died or even the vineyard has been sold. This is the case of Cornas from Marcel Juge, or Henri Bonneau Réserve des Célestins from Châteauneuf (ranking 3^rd at €1,140). Except on iDealwine, it is becoming almost impossible to find such treasures.

These 20 most expensive cuvées from the Rhône enriching. To be fair between each domains, the price of a wine auctioned in magnum (Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 1971) was converted to match the price of a 75cl bottle.

Coming up, the ranking of other regions, a way for us to do a Tour de France too!

TOP 20 – Rhône Valley (1st semester 2017)

* Each auction result has been reported in both bottle and unit prices. Thus, the price of the magnum was divided by 2 in order to compare this result with other cuvées.

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