A drum roll, please, maestro – it's time once more for the world's most expensive wines and, this time, there's a surprise in store.
Usually, the top 10 most expensive wines is a fairly predictable line-up and this year is no exception. Where the surprise comes in is in the prices themselves, as we shall see.
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It has been an interesting exercise, going through these lists this year. There have been some big jumps in prices for certain wines, while others have either been treading water or going backwards. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it's the same story with the overall list.
There have also been a few fairly obvious categories that have been missed out. This year's most expensive series has missed out on some big hitters, none more apparent than Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Burgundy. Well, that's because they're all covered here.
When it comes to the world's most expensive wines they are all (with one notable exception) either Pinots or Chardonnays from Burgundy. Indeed, taking the wider view, of the top 50 most expensive wines listed on Wine-Searcher, just six are from beyond Burgundy: the Egon Müller Scharzhofberger TBA listed below, Chave's Cuvée Cathelin, a couple of Ports and a couple of Madeiras.
Now that's what you call market dominance – the great wines of Bordeaux, Champagne, Napa and Italy don't get so much as a look in – and it's a strong field where Screaming Eagle Cabernet can't compete on price.
Prices over the past year have generally reflected the current turbulent state of the world, but what effect have the 12 months' upheavals and financial hits affected the wine world? Well, much like the rest of the world, the impact hasn't been shared equally, as we shall see.
First, though, a word about how we measure the prices for the most expensive wines. The wines are ranked according to their global average retail prices, worked out across the thousands of offers we list for each wine. The wines are not vintage-specific, so they reflect the market appreciation for the wine generally, rather than in stand-out vintages.
Also, for this list the prices are taken from their monthly average rather than daily average, as that gives a broader, more complete reflection of the retail market prices for the top wines.
The World's Most Expensive Wines on Wine-Searcher:
| Wine Name | Score | Ave Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domaine Leroy Musigny Grand Cru | 98 | $48,616 | |
| DRC Romanée-Conti Grand Cru | 98 | $27,053 | |
| Leroy Domaine d'Auvenay Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru | 98 | $26,709 | |
| Domaine d'Auvenay Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru | 97 | $25,451 | |
| Domaine d'Auvenay Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru | 97 | $21,016 | |
| Domaine Georges & Christophe Roumier Musigny Grand Cru | 96 | $20,840 | |
| Domaine Leflaive Montrachet Grand Cru | 96 | $19,109 | |
| Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling TBA, Mosel | 97 | $17,460 | |
| Roumier Echezeaux Grand Cru | 92 | $16,897 | |
| Leroy Chambertin Grand Cru | 98 | $14,200 |
No surprises at all with the wine in top spot. Leroy's Musigny has been top dog for the past few years, and its continued price success has become self-fulfilling, with the sort of hefty rise that investors dream about. Last year, it had achieved a year-on-year average retail price increase of 15 percent; this year it has gone up by 29 percent.
That is an extraordinary rise. Last year's rise was around double the global inflation rate, but this year's increase comes depite an almost halving of that inflation rate. Clearly, top-end Burgundy simply isn't affected by mere consumer price inflation, although the Musigny figure is a little misleading.
Going down the list, it's a different story, especially for the once seemingly invincible Leroy stable.
DRC's flagship cuvée saw its average retail price rise by 6.8 percent, again ahead of global inflation. That was enough to lift it three places from last year's performance and all at the expense of its rival Leroy. Leroy's Domaine d'Auvenay cuvées all saw varyingly sharp falls in their average retail price.
The Chevalier-Montrachet had a fall of 14.5 percent in the past year, while the Bâtard-Montrachet dropped by 6.5 percent. However, the Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet went backwards by a sobering 29.5 percent since we last ran this list and is down by more than 45 percent on its price peak of $38,560, attained in February 2022. The Leroy Chambertin was down almost 4 percent.
Elsewhere, price fluctuations were less dramatic. The Roumier Musigny rose by 4.5 percent, while the Leflaive managed a jump of 4.4 percent. The Egon Müller wine continued its stately progress with an 8 percent rise, while the Roumier Echezaux managed a token 1.5 percent increase.
So, while Burgundy is still a playground for the rich, it looks like the red wines are doing the lion's share of the heavy lifting when it comes to price – and the formerly bullet-proof Leroy brand might be hitting a few speed bumps along the way.
