Chardonnay is without doubt one of the hottest white wine grapes on the earth, grown in numerous areas from throughout the northern Hemisphere to the southern tip of Argentina and distant islands off of Australia. Though there are nice examples of wines produced from Chardonnay from every of those distinct areas, the examples that fetch the best costs all come from the variability’s residence in France.
A brand new report by Wine-Searcher has revealed the costliest bottles of Chardonnay this yr, and it’s no shock that each one 10 come from the esteemed vineyards of Burgundy. Apart from their interesting roots within the historic and highly-regarded area, these wines are sometimes produced in very restricted portions. This low provide and excessive demand has persistently led to ever-rising costs.
Past the finite quantity of land that may contribute to those wines, the area’s prolific producers additionally play a serious half in Burgundy’s sky-high costs. That’s greater than evident on this yr’s record of the costliest bottles, as 9 out of 10 all come from the identical winemaker: Lalou Bize-Leroy. Leroy was a co-director on the famed Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC) earlier than leaving in 1991 over a dispute relating to the vineyard. When her husband handed away in 2004, Leroy took over Domaine d’Auvenay. And whereas all white Burgundy is seeing a pointy improve in value, Leroy’s bottles are hovering by means of the roof. Now, the extremely coveted wines from the small property are commandeering the rankings, slowly changing DRC throughout the record.
Maintain studying to find the costliest Chardonnays on the earth, in response to Wine-Searcher.
Kicking off the record is (shock!) a bottle from Domaine d’Auvenay. This specific bottling comes from Meursault, a village within the Côte de Beaune sub-region of Burgundy. Although the realm is famend for its unctuous white wines, it really holds no Grand Cru-designated websites. Nevertheless, Narvaux is definitely the village’s highest-altitude winery, resulting in a distinctly elegant — and, in fact, costly — wine. Common rating: 96. Common value: $7,635.
Simply to the south of Meursault lies the much more distinguished village of Puligny-Montrachet. This space is thought for its advanced white wines — thought-about by many to be the best expressions of Chardonnay on the planet — therefore the whopping price ticket. Common rating: 95. Common value: $8,550.
Within the No. 8 spot, now we have yet one more Domaine d’Auvenay wine. This bottle’s additionally from Puligny-Montrachet, however not like the instance above, this expression comes from a Premier Cru website. Les Folatières is a extremely regarded winery, notable for its prime, east-facing place on the hilly space’s slopes. It’s Premier Cru standing provides this wine some additional oomph, pushing the worth even increased. Common rating: 96. Common value: $8,666.
Rating seventh on the record is one other bottle from Domaine d’Auvenay — surprising, we all know. This expression comes from a Premier Cru website in Meursault. The winery’s identify Les Gouttes d’Or interprets to “the droplets of gold.” Apt, as it can actually take droplets of gold to pay for this coveted bottle. Common rating: 97. Common value: $8,682.
It’s fascinating that this bottle from the broader Meursault space catches a better value than the earlier examples, which all come from extremely particular winery websites. This bottle additionally has the bottom common rating on the record at 91 factors. Nonetheless, the wine nonetheless fetches a reasonably penny. Common rating: 91. Common value: $8,754.
We’re again in Puligny-Montrachet for No. 5. Curiously, the Les Enseigneres winery is a comparatively unknown website that neighbors extraordinarily prestigious Grand Cru websites within the space. The hidden gem is thought to ship Grand Cru high quality for under-the-radar costs, however it looks as if many have caught onto the hype with this bottle. Common rating: 95. Common value: $9,129.
Right here, we lastly arrive at a bottle from DRC, probably the most illustrious estates on the planet. Although the vineyard is finest recognized for its wildly costly Pinot Noirs, its white wine nonetheless has a very good quantity of clout, cracking the $10,000 mark on this record. Common rating: 96. Common value: $11,459.
This bottle comes from the historic Domaine Leroy that goes again a number of generations in Lalou’s household. So, though this bottling doesn’t come from her mission on the Domaine d’Auvenay property, we’re going to rely this as one other win for Lalou. This one comes from Corton-Charlemagne, a Grand Cru website thought-about to be among the finest in Burgundy. All collectively, these elements result in a surprising price ticket. Common rating: 95. Common value: $11,867.
The ultimate two spots on the record actually attain astronomical costs, with this specific bottling seeing a drastic improve from about $8,000 4 years in the past to over $20,000 right this moment. This wine is from the Grand Cru Bâtard-Montrachet winery, nestled just under the extremely acclaimed Le Montrachet winery that spans each Puligny and Chassagne-Montrachet. Common rating: 97. Common value: $20,690.
Domaine d’Auvenay tops the record with this jaw-dropping Chardonnay from the Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru. Although Le Montrachet is extra well-known, this website situated simply above it’s usually thought-about equally high-quality. The worth for this bottle has tripled over the previous 4 years, leaping from $7,500 to over $23,000. Although we don’t anticipate to be making an attempt this wine anytime quickly, those that have the possibility to can boast that they’ve consumed the costliest Chardonnay on the earth. Common rating: 98. Common value: $23,121.
*Picture retrieved from Тимур Конев through inventory.adobe.com
