The Cricova winery collection from Moldova contains the Hermann Göring’s wine collection, which was seized by the Russians after WWII. This collection contains among others a Jewish desert wine produced in Jerusalem in 1902, for which the rumor has it a price of US $1,000,000 was offered. Several other wines from across Europe make part of this rich collection including five bottles of Mouton Rothschild from 1936.
The Auction Collectibles
The most expensive wine ever bought is considered to be the 1787 Chateau Lafite which was sold at Christie’s London in December, 1985 for £105,000 (at that time equivalent of US $156,000). This bottle of wine is believed to be from the cellar of Thomas Jefferson (former US President) as it had the Th.J initials etched into the glass bottle. It’s great age alone would have ensured a good price at the auction, but what made the record price tag was the Th.J. etch. There’s a whole story about this bottle of wine which we’ll share with you in the next post.
There was another bottle though, which technically had a higher price tag but was never actually sold. Another bottle with Jefferson’s initials, a 1787 Chateau Margaux from an English owner was offered for sale by William Sokolin, a New York wine merchant. In 1989 he was asking US $500,000 for it when he took it to a Chateau Margaux dinner at the Four Seasons restaurant. A clumsy waiter carryingsomething bumped the bottle breaking it, so the bottle didn’t actually get sold or get any buy offers, but because it was insured, the insurance company however payed US $225,000 for the damage, thus 1787 Chateau Margaux becoming the most expensive broken bottle of wine.
On a auction in 2006, the 1945 Mouton Rothschild became the most expensive vintage wine in the world. An auctioneer bought 6 magnum bottles for $345,000 and 12 regular bottles for $290,000 bringing the value of Mouton Rothschild 1945 to US $28,750 a bottle.
Previously the same type of 1945 Mouton Rothschild wines were sold for over US $20,000 at various actions as well. The difference between the collectible wines that cannot be drink anymore and the vintage wines is obvious as they can still be enjoyed. The maximum age for a vintage dry wine is around 50 years, but some premium Bordeaux typescan resist longer. The desert wines on the other hand can stay drinkable much longer.
The most expensive retail wines
Pétrus and Romanée Conti are considered to be the most expensive wines in retail. A bottle of a new Pétrus vintage will cost a minimum US $1,000. Although Pétrus does not have any ranking, the quality is the same as any first growth wines from Bordeaux. The winery is located in Pomerol, Bordeaux and the dominant grape is Merlot.
The price of a Romanée Conti bottle is often 2 or 3 times higher then Pétrus easily reaching around US $3,000 for a bottle and even more. Romanée Conti is considered to be one of the best red wines in the world. The winery is located in Cote-de-Nuits in Burgundy and the main grape is Pinot Noir. Wines are produced here in very small quantities but the demand is huge. A bottle of the 1978 Romanée Conti was sold for US $24,000 in an auction.
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