It's the wine list(icle) to outprice all other wine lists:
THE WORLD’S MOST EXPENSIVE WINES!!!
Value hunters turn back now (and please detour to this handy next link): You will find no high quality-to-price ratio wine bargains here. This is the monument where value came to die, a tower to Jeroboam, Methuselah, Nebuchadnezzar and Double Magnum.
Stand at the precipice of our Skyscraper to Extra and behold: These are the wines so legendary, so mythical that the wealthiest among us will bid in a fascinating competition of Who Will Pay the Most Money for Old Grape Juice … That Might Have Touched Someone's Feet. (Note to Bravo TV: I will absolutely report on, if not co-host, Cellar Peacocks of River Oaks. Call me!)
After combing the archives of the world's most prestigious fine wine auction houses—from Acker to Bonhams to Christie’s to Sotheby’s to Wally’s to Zachys to Hart to Davis and back to Hart—we’ve compiled this list of the most expensive wines ever sold.
And while nothing brings out the wine-thirsty rich like Burgundy and its Pinot Noirs (and Chardonnays), you’ll also find Cabernet stars of Bordeaux, California and a few other prestigious addresses where bottles start at four figures. No standard-size bottle of wine has yet sold for $1 million, but we’ve gotten halfway there already. You heard it here first: Vinflation will claim a seven-figure 750ml wine bottle by 2030. And it might already be on this list …
These mostly decades-old wines are prized for their rarity and ageability, although their actual “enjoyability” is in the eye, palate and pocketbook of the bidder.
With some of these bottles, how the wine within them “tastes” (and aged wine represents its own acquired taste to begin with) may be beside the point. But without fail, when the auction hammer fell on these record-breaking bottles, the price was obscene. Will this list shake your faith in the very fabric of the currency system? Quite possibly. And in that spirit, we’ve created a new metric to help us better relate to the true price of (a) taste: Price per drop.
Are You Down with PPD?
Price per drop is derived using a proprietary algorithm developed in one of Wine Spectator’s highly secure wine caves (calculations performed with calcareous chalk on a limestone cavern wall). Using the pharmaceutical measurement for a drop (0.05ml), we could easily establish a per-drop value based on a bottle’s listed volume and price.
However, the actual volume of wine held within a bottle decreases over time as the liquid slowly evaporates through the cork. (Evaporation rates will fluctuate based on the manner and degree of a given natural cork’s imperfections.) This measure of evaporated wine (oft referred to as the angel’s share during the barrel-aging process) is witnessed in a bottle’s ullage, or the volume of air, called "headspace," inside the bottle. The older a wine and its cork become, the greater its ullage, and the less wine there is left to enjoy.
According to my handy pocket edition of the Christie’s auction house ullage guide developed by the late fine-wine auction pioneer Michael Broadbent, a mid-shoulder fill level is “not abnormal for wines 40 years of age.”
Funnel in hand, I quickly ascertained that a “mid-shoulder” fill represents the loss of approximately 2 tablespoons of wine, so we can calculate a conservative attrition rate of 7 milliliters per decade, or about 14 drops per year. Obviously by now you’re asking yourself two questions: What the hell am I reading? and …
How Many Drops Are in a Bottle of Wine?
At 0.05ml per drop, a standard 750ml bottle of wine contains 15,000 drops. That puts a 5-ounce glass of wine at 2,957 drops, and a full 9-liter case tips the beaker at 180,000 drops. In terms of price per drop, a $15 bottle of wine comes out to 10 drops per cent, or a PPD of $0.001. That's a great price!
Having established our ranking metric, we also added some filters. Wines sold for a good cause (and a great tax deduction) at charity wine auctions aren't eligible for consideration (but we’ll talk about them anyway). We’ve also disqualified counterfeit wines (but we'll talk about those too).
This definitive list of the world’s most expensive wines ever sold represents only real, fungible bottles that have been purchased purely for their perceived value to their very real buyers. Fakes and tax breaks to the back, er, front. Well, you’ll see. Now bid RIP to QPR and submit yourself to the PPD Index, where FOMO meets "Oh F, How Much Did I Just Spend on Wine?!"
The 15 Most Expensive Wines Ever Sold
Automatic DQ, Fraud Edition: Thomas Jefferson’s 1787 Lafite, Sold for $156,450
In 1985, Christopher Forbes paid $156,450 for a bottle of 1787 Château Lafite acquired by infamous fine wine dealer Hardy Rodenstock. The bottle was engraved “Th. J.,” purportedly indicating that it had belonged to noted wine connoisseur and U.S. President Thomas Jefferson. The bottle’s authenticity was first called into question by Jefferson historians at Monticello. Collector and counterfeit crusader Bill Koch, who purchased one of Rodenstock’s other Jefferson bottles, filed a lawsuit; a judge ruled against Rodenstock in absentia, but Koch was never able to collect (though he did from other wine dealers that he accused of selling fake wine). The real Château Lafite Rothschild is one of Bordeaux’s original four first-growths, earning the top ranking in Napoleon III's 1855 Classification of Bordeaux, and new vintages of this highly regarded Cabernet-based red from Bordeaux's Pauillac appellation sell for up to $1,000 a bottle.
Supposed age of wine at sale date: 198 years
Price per drop: $12.79 of real money
Dishonorable unmentionables: The other fake Jefferson bottles; the interrupted sale of Domaine Ponsot Burgundies that Ponsot never made; anything that passed through convicted counterfeiter Rudy Kurniawan's house
Automatic DQ, Tax Break Edition: The Setting Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Glass Slipper 2019, Sold for $1,000,000 (6-liter bottle)
We love chef Emeril Lagasse and his annual Carnivale du Vin charity event, and in 2021, someone loved Emeril, philanthropy and Napa Cabernet so much that they paid $1 million for a one-of-a-kind 6-liter imperial (or methuselah, if you prefer) of The Setting Cabernet made with grapes from Glass Slipper vineyard in Napa’s Coombsville AVA. They only made the one 6-liter bottle, but you can buy your own regular-size bottle of The Setting Cabernet for about $200.
Age: 2 years
PPD: $8.33
Honorable mention, tax break edition: A 6-liter bottle of 1992 Screaming Eagle Napa Cabernet sold for $500,000 at the annual Napa Valley Wine Auction in 2000. (Nowadays you can buy a regular-size bottle of the ’92 Screagle for about 8 grand, and the charity auction goes by Collective Napa Valley).
No. 13, the Sticker Shock Award: Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti 2021, release price of $10,213
Not all wines have to age to earn their astronomical price tags; some of them are born with them! The most recent vintage of Burgundy’s famed Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Pinot Noir from the Romanée-Conti grand cru vineyard has a suggested retail price of $10,213 per bottle. (Wine Spectator senior editor Bruce Sanderson recently reviewed DRC’s 2021 and 2022 lineups.) The 2021 vintage at DRC includes some more affordable offerings as well, including a $5,592 bottle of Chardonnay from the Montrachet grand cru vineyard and a $3,295 grand cru Pinot Noir from La Tâche vineyard.
Age: 2 years
PPD: $0.68
Honorable mention, SRP edition: Portugal’s Quinta do Crasto recently released a non-vintage Tawny Port Very Old Honore 400 Years Celebration bottle for $8,500. In addition to DRC, a handful of wineries around the world charge close to $5,000 a bottle for their most in-demand new releases, including Bordeaux’s Pétrus and Le Pin, Burgundy’s d’Auvenay, Leflaive, Leroy, Ramonet (read our May 31, 2024, cover story) and Roumier, Champagne's Krug and Napa’s Ghost Horse.
No. 12: Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 1990, Sold for $179,250 (9-liter case)
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti is the long-reigning king of the fine wine auction market, and this 2022 Hart Davis Hart sale was led by a case of the world’s most sought-after Pinot Noir. A 9-liter case of DRC's 1990 Romanée-Conti bottling sold for nearly $180,000, and a case of 1999 DRC RC sold for $107,550.
Age: 32 years
PPD: $1.03
No. 11: Domaine d’Auvenay Chevalier-Montrachet 2007, Sold for $240,412 (9-liter case)
In late 2023, Taiwanese art and wine collector Pierre Chen started auctioning much of his renowned wine collection, and this rare white Burgundy from Lalou Bize-Leroy’s Domaine d'Auvenay exceeded expectations when it netted more than $240,000 for a 9-liter case.
Age: 16 years
PPD: $1.36
No. 10: Domaine Leflaive Montrachet 2010, Sold for $43,575 (1.5-liter bottle)
Another Chardonnay makes our list, and an even younger one at that, from Domaine Leflaive and the grand cru Montrachet vineyard in Burgundy. This bottle of 2010 Leflaive Montrachet was sold in 2021 at Acker's third-annual Grande Fête de Bourgogne auction.
Age: 11 years
PPD: $1.47
No 9: Domaine Leroy 1991, Sold for $460,650 (9-liter case)
A case of Burgundy powerhouse Domaine Leroy’s 1991 Musigny sold for more than $460,000 at Acker's 2021 auction in Delaware. A second case of Leroy Musigny 1991, as well as a case of 1993 Musigny, sold for nearly $450,000 each at the same sale.
Age: 30 years
PPD: $2.63
No. 8: Château Cheval-Blanc 1947, sold for $304,375 (6-liter bottle)
In 2010, Christie’s held an auction of large-format bottles of the legendary 1947 vintage from Bordeaux’s Château Cheval-Blanc in St.-Emilion. (Wine-in-film fans will recall that another legendary Cheval-Blanc vintage, 1961, serves as Miles' ironic trophy wine in Sideways.) The 50-50 Cabernet Franc and Merlot blend made a big impression in 1947, and again in 2010, when an imperial of the famed Cheval-Blanc vintage sold for $304,375.
Age: 63 years
PPD: $2.69
No. 7: Château Mouton-Rothschild 1945, Sold for $310,700 (4.5-liter bottle)
Pristine provenance paved the payday path for a 4.5-liter jeroboam of the revered 1945 vintage from Bordeaux’s Château Mouton-Rothschild. Sotheby’s consigned the wine directly from the personal cellar of Mouton owner Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, and the rare large-format bottle set a new record when it sold in 2007. The sale was accompanied by an exhibition of paintings commissioned to illustrate Mouton's labels.
Age: 62 years
PPD: $3.66
No. 6: Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 1943, Sold for $68,200
This was one of many rare bottles of DRC that were auctioned by Sotheby’s in 2018, including the most expensive bottle ever sold. But this not-quite-as-expensive bottle still turned heads when someone paid more than $68,000 for the 1943 DRC RC.
Age: 75 years
PPD: $4.89
No. 5: Henri Jayer Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux 1978, Sold for $144,893 (1.5-liter bottle)
When the personal wine cellar of late Burgundy winemaking legend Henri Jayer went up for auction in 2018, collectors knew the paddles would be flying for an opportunity to obtain Jayer’s last bottles of Pinot Noir. A 15-magnum vertical spanning 1978 to 2001 fetched more than $1.17 million, but it was the magnum of the 1978 Cros Parantoux, considered by many to be Jayer’s masterpiece, that earned the highest price by volume, at $144,893 for a single magnum.
Age: 40 years
PPD: $5.02
No. 4: Château d’Yquem 1847, Sold for $71,675
Bordeaux’s Château d’Yquem Sauternes represents the pinnacle of collectible sweet wines. When this bottle sold for more than $70,000 at a 2004 Zachys sale in Beverly Hills, Calif., it became the most expensive bottle of non-red wine ever sold, as well as the most expensive wine ever sold in the United States.
Age: 157 years
PPD: $5.60
No. 3: Château d'Yquem 1811, Sold for $120,000
French sommelier Christian Vannequé, a 1976 Paris Tasting judge and longtime La Tour d’Argent somm, bought this bottle of “comet year” dessert wine from Bordeaux’s Sauternes region for £75,000 in 2011, reportedly intent on drinking the bottle at La Tour d’Argent in 2017, in celebration of 50 years since his 1967 start at the Grand Award–winning restaurant. Alas, Vannequé passed away in 2015.
Age: 200 years
PPD: $9.84
No. 2: Château Lafite 1869, Sold for $233,972
A Sotheby’s auction of wines released directly from the cellars of Bordeaux’s Château Lafite Rothschild drew heavy bidding in Hong Kong in 2010, with a single bottle of the 1869 vintage stealing the show, setting a drop-for-drop world record that would stand for nearly a decade.
Age: 141 years
PPD: $17.96
No. 1, the Undisputed Champ: Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 1945, Sold for $558,000 and $496,000
In 2018, Sotheby’s held an auction of rare wines consigned directly from the personal cellar of Burgundy winemaker Robert Drouhin. Among the many blockbuster auction lots were two bottles of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti 1945. After some fevered bidding, New York developer and wine collector Rob Rosania claimed first one and then the other bottle of 1945 DRC RC, for $558,000 and $496,000, respectively. “That’s why I was here,” Rosania told Wine Spectator’s Bruce Sanderson after the auction. “I thought it would go for $250,000 to $400,000.”
Age: 73 years
PPD: $39.92 and $35.48, respectively
And when you look at it that way … dang, I probably would pay $40 for a taste of 1945 DRC. In fact, let’s set a new record! The next time one of those legendary bottles goes up for sale, I’ll put up 50 bucks for a drop. Who’s with me?! We just need to make about 15,000 more friends ….
A Quick Reference Guide to Big Wine Bottle Sizes
How big do wine bottles get? As big as the reputations of the biblical kings they're named for! Some are so large that they're difficult if not impossible for one person to lift, let alone pour (someone eventually had to invent special large-format bottle-pouring cradles).
The largest "standardized" wine bottle size, according to Sotheby's auction house, is the Melchizedek, or Midas, which holds 30 liters of Champagne, just a tad more than a Goliath, or Primat, which holds 27 liters.
Solomons hold 20 liters, and it takes 18 liters to fill a Melchior. A Nebuchadnezzar holds 15 liters, followed by a Balthazar at 12. A Salmanazar holds 9 liters, aka a standard 12-bottle case's worth.
A Methuselah, aka an Imperial, holds 6 liters, while a Rehoboam houses 4.5. In Bordeaux, a Jeroboam also holds 4.5 liters, but it's just 3 liters in Champagne and Burgundy (don't look at me). Three-liter bottles are more commonly referred to as double magnums, being double the volume of a 1.5-liter magnum, which is itself, of course, double the volume of a standard 750ml bottle of wine (which is double the volume of a 375ml split, or half-bottle).
And if we want to nest all these bottles into one grand Matryoshka (not a bottle name … yet), they'll all fit into the Maximus, a one-of-a-kind 130-liter bottle of Beringer Cabernet Private Reserve 2001 that was auctioned for charity at Sotheby's in 2004 for $55,800, or a PPD of 2 cents. What a buy!
Can You Actually Drink 100-Year-Old Wine?
Not all wine improves with age and, eventually at least, all wine turns to vinegar. But a rare few can evolve beautifully for decades if not centuries—and chasing those once-in-a-lifetime magical experiences is part of the thrill of wine collecting. And while all wine eventually goes bad, old wine won't make you sick. The alcohol in the wine serves as a preservative, preventing spoilage. Eventually the wine will lose its fruit flavors and its color will fade to brown, but it won't become harmful to taste (though it might taste awful).
Learn More About Fine Wine Collecting and Auctions
• 7 Wine Storage Basics: Here’s what you need to know to keep your fine wines at their best without spending a lot.
• How to Buy Wine at Auction: These 9 strategies will help you place your bid with confidence.
• How (and Why) to Buy Wine Futures: We explain the pros and cons of paying up front for Bordeaux and other wines that haven’t been bottled yet.
• How to Sell Wine at Auction: Our insider tips for getting the best deal when you put your collectible wine on the block.
• Flipping Wine on the Secondary Market: High-value wines can tempt buyers to resell for a profit, but vintners are wary about allowing customers on their mailing lists if they are just in it for the money.
• Do Wine Investment Funds Deliver? Treating wine as a liquid asset, these investment funds are increasingly popular in the U.S., but do they offer safe returns?
