10 Bottles Of Wine You Can’t Afford To Uncork
No liquid beyond water is more storied than wine. It’s the subject of literature and art, legend and myth. Good batches are part science: climate, grape genetics, yeast growth, water impurities and otherwise. The best wines are an almost indefinable art, an essence, feeling or quality that many try to bottle, but few ever uncork. To celebrate those wines that have become legendary to collectors around the world, here are the 10 most expensive bottles of wine in the world.
10. $24,675 – 1941 Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Citing its dark, deep and “vibrant” flavors, Wine Spectator in 2001 lauded Inglenook’s 1941 cabernet sauvignon, a batch considered by many the best ever produced in Napa Valley.
9. $20,145 – 1934 DRC Romanée Conti
A burgundy with “sensational” aromatics, tasters have been overwhelmed by this wine’s bouquet. Wisps of menthol blend with the scent of “sexy sausage” and the wine’s reportedly perfect pinot texture.
8. $23,929 – 1978 Montrachet Domaine de la Romanée Conti
Among the most expensive bottles of wine ever sold in America, a seven-bottle lot of 1978 Montrachet Domaine was bought at auction for $167,500 — $23,929 per bottle. The chardonnay is bright and lively and said to taste of honey and grilled almonds.
7. $33,781 – 1947 Cheval Blanc
A wine so legendary it’s name has become a subtle joke so pervasive it was uttered by the animated mouse in “Ratatouille,” the 1947 Cheval Blanc is considered a “happy accident of nature,” and is likely the most celebrated wine in the 20th century. The wine has a notoriously thick consistency, smells of leather, coffee and chocolate and tastes of sweet fruit.
6. $38,000 – 1951 Penfolds Grange Hermitage
Only 160 cases of the 1951 Grange were produced by famed Australian winemaker Max Schubert, who wanted to make a red to rival those he observed while studying in Bordeaux. The wine experiment was corked in whatever bottle Schubert could find, simply labeled and is now one of the most prized Australian wines.
5. $43,500 – 1775 Sherry from Massandra Collection
Bottled in the Crimea and prized by Russian Czars, the oldest Western European sherry was sold at a Sotheby’s auction in 2001. The most rare bottles of the sherry bear an imperial seal.
4. $80,000 – 1992 Screaming Eagle
Purple-colored at the rim, the 1992 Screaming Eagle is one of Napa Valley’s most buzzed-about wines. The cabernet is intense, rich and creamy with elegant fruity flavors that linger in the mouth.
3. $114,614 – 1945 Château Mouton-Rothschild
Hailed as a “true miracle” in winemaking, the 1945 Mouton-Rothschild was harvested in ideal climate conditions and perfectly bottled a deep, blackcurrant flavor that’s astoundingly concentrated. An anonymous buyer snatched up a Jeroboam for 114,614 at a Christie’s auction in 1997.
2. $160,000 – Chateau Lafite 1787
The 1787 Chateau Lafite isn’t prized for its flavor. In fact, it’s not even drinkable. But a bottle of the vinegar nevertheless fetched $160,000 in a London auction because of the initials etched into the glass. Th.J. Its rumored owner, once president Thomas Jefferson, is said to have bought the bottle overseas while serving as ambassador to France.
1. $275,000 – Shipwrecked 1907 Heidsieck & Co. Monopole Champagne
Cases of the bubbly were bound for Czar Nicholas II of Russia, but were lost in 1917 after a German submarine in torpedoed its transport during WWI. In 1998. 2,000 bottles were salvaged from the bottom of the Gulf of Finland and now sell for more than a quarter million dollars.
So what do you think, StyleCravers, Diggers, Stumblers… Would you pay that kind of money for a bottle of wine if you could afford it? What kind of special occassion would it take for you to pop the cork in one of these babies? If you do already own one, would you mind pouring us a glass? Let us know your opinions in the comments. It’s why we write these in the first place! Thanks again for reading.
Saturday, May 9, 2009 5:14AM
If I had the money I'd buy em all, and get super wasted!
Saturday, May 9, 2009 5:41AM
A Jeraboam is actually 4 bottles, so in regard to the mouton-rothschild the actual individual bottle price would be 28, 653.50. Placing it a bit lower on the list.
Saturday, May 9, 2009 8:51AM
That's what I call expensive taste
Saturday, May 9, 2009 11:59AM
upon inspection, the Shipwrecked 1907 Heidsieck & Co. Monopole Champagne is available for far less at the ritz carlton in russia for about 40,000
Saturday, May 9, 2009 12:56PM
What a waste of money! So what if the wine tastes great? it is just a drink, for goodness sake!
For this kind of money, you could invest in pretty much anything and be better off.
Saturday, May 9, 2009 3:29PM
Pretentious wine snob is pretentious.
Saturday, May 9, 2009 5:39PM
awesome
Saturday, May 9, 2009 5:41PM
I would buy one of the more expensive ones if my wife would divorce me…
Saturday, May 9, 2009 7:24PM
Jeraboam is a double magnum, 4/5 of a gallon, I think…is that the same as 4 bottles…whatever, it's price is a little more reasonable cuz there is more wine than the average wine bottle. Still outa my price range!
Saturday, May 9, 2009 7:53PM
There have been a couple other bottles of wine that Thomas Jefferson allegedly owned that have fetched large sums of money at the auction house. For example a 1787 bottle of Château d'Yquem was sold for $56,000 which was sampled back in the 90's at the time of sale and was confirmed that it was incredible in flavor and was in fact still improving in character. Château d'Yquem is often referred to the "Wine of eternal life" and will continuously get better with age unlike 99% of all other wines out there.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 4:41PM
Wow! That's affordable!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 11:45AM
Fantastic list – this is a great topic criteria for a conversation over drinks
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 5:28PM
You are actually not paying so much for the wine, but more for the story they represent. Notice that few "new world" wines are amongst the pick. I am creating a new webiste at http://www.justcarmenere.com to see if in a few years time we can add a Carmenere to that list! Cheers,
Thursday, May 14, 2009 10:01PM
Neat idea, but you're way high on prices. Just curious… where did you get the pricing data from?
Friday, May 15, 2009 8:57PM
[...] 10 Bottles Of Wine You Can’t Afford To Uncork [...]
Friday, May 15, 2009 8:57PM
Pouring one out for the homies attracts ants.
Friday, May 22, 2009 3:21PM
i agree its just a drink with fungus in it-yup there's fungus in wine
Saturday, May 23, 2009 1:58PM
Out of all the wines on this list I find the 92 Screaming Eagle's price the most shocking. I know its a big cult wine classic and highly touted but even so its hard to see it being priced above the 1941 Inglenook and other greats on this list.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 10:06PM
I could go for a little 42,000 Sherry from Massandra right now!!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009 10:25PM
At this price tags, there's no wonder this wines are getting older and older
Thursday, June 18, 2009 8:43PM
Cheap wine for rich people
. Enjoy it if can afforded !!!
Thursday, August 6, 2009 1:01PM
[...] 10 Bottles Of Wine You Can’t Afford To Uncork [...]
Thursday, August 6, 2009 7:05PM
If you can afford this wine, chances are that you already have…
Friday, August 7, 2009 9:50PM
Back during WWII. My dad hand his OSS squad bought what was at that time the worlds most expensive bottle of wine, and drank it – The night before they were supposed to go overseas. They had been told to expect greater than 90% fatalities, so they figured…. All but one guy on the Team made it back. Dad ended up breaking an ankle before going behind the lines, and was left at the base in Africa
Friday, January 8, 2010 5:13PM
if anyone needs someone to share some of these wines, I’d be more then happy to oblige. ^_^