The Ideal Wine Company has learned that a celebrated Burgundy wine-making estate in France has topped Sotheby’s annual wine rankings for the third consecutive year.
Wine at Sotheby’s
Headquartered in New York City, Sotheby’s is one of the planet’s largest brokers of luxury items such as fine wine. The world-class auction house has now released its sales figures for 2015. Industry publication Decanter reports that in 2015 the company’s auction receipts equalled US$60.4 million (m).
This is decrease of 7.5% on 2014, despite the fact that Sotheby’s put on a range of high-profile, single owner auctions and ‘direct from the winery sales’ last year. The latter category represented over half the company’s turnover, US$33m. This suggests that over the years, wine has become a vital component of the Sotheby’s business model.
Top wine estates
For the last three years, Sotheby’s has released a list of its top ten wine estates. This is calculated based on sales at Sotheby’s fine wine auctions and retail operations. The ranking is designed, according to Decanter, to create “a high level snapshot of global demand for fine wine.”
If the Sotheby’s list is to be believed, Burgundy vintages were in high demand throughout 2015. While Bordeaux accounted for 46% of Sotheby’s sales last year, Burgundy wine comprised 40%. Burgundy wine estate Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC) topped the rankings for the third year in a row, accounting for 17% (over US$10m) of Sotheby’s’ sales in 2015.
The top grossing lot of 2015 was a six bottle case of DRC 1990, which was sold in Hong Kong for a staggering US$158,000! Overall sales of DRC at Sotheby’s rose by 16% last year. Other Burgundy wine estates which saw their Sotheby’s sales increase in 2015 included Armand Rousseau (up 88%) and Georges Roumier (up 113%).
Burgundy wine
In other words, the latest figures from Sotheby’s suggests that the world had a big appetite for fine Burgundy wine in 2015. Here at the Ideal Wine Company, we can see why. One of the most celebrated wine making regions in the world, Burgundy is known for its stunning dry Pinot Noir reds and delicious Chardonnay-based whites!
The Ideal Wine Company sells a selection of Burgundy vintages. Have you tried the Gevrey Chambertin Clos St Jacques 2000 which boasts hints of cherry, plum and oak spices? This stellar dry Burgundy red will blow you away!
