Which are they, why are they so expensive, and are there cheaper, but still delicious, alternatives?

To inspire your most extravagant wine desires, we dug into Vivino’s data to find the top ten most expensive wines available for purchase right now. Because if you’re going to dream, you might as well dream big, right? For all of you high rollers, take note—these wines are all shoppable on Vivino. For those with Champagne taste but a beer budget, we also pulled together some picks for more affordable alternatives. You’re welcome.

Which is the most expensive wine? Domaine de la Romanée-Conti from 2005 which will cost you roughly $28,243. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti dominates the top most expensive wines in the world as all wine from the french vineyard is highly sought after.

Top 10 Most Expensive Wines





Affordable Alternatives

Mount Difficulty Bannockburn Pinot Noir 2014 ($42)

New Zealand's Central Otago is following Burgundy's footsteps. The quality of its single vineyard wines was confirmed when Aubert de Villaine, co-owner of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, visited and tasted at Mount Difficulty in 2014.

Bergström Le Pre Du Col Vineyard Pinot Noir 2013 ($65)

This elegant, Old World-style Pinot Noir comes from from a biodynamic vineyard in Oregon. It's on the 45th parallel, the same as Burgundy, and has a similar growing climate.

Bachey-Legros Clos Rousseau Vieilles Vigne Santenay 1er Cru 2013 ($39)

This wine provides a real Burgundy experience with a golden combination of outstanding quality and an affordable price. The small, family-owned vineyard is located in the Cote de Beaune.

Bodegas Avancia Mencia ($36)

Drink Business calls this grape, native to Bierzo, ‘The Pinot noir of Spain’. If you're looking for an outside-the-box option looking that's delicate and terroir-expressive, try this alternative underdog .

Chat Sauvage Rheingau Pinot Noir 2013 ($32)

This is a Burgundy-style Pinot Noir from Reingau, Germany. The winery's step vineyards, eco-friendly farming, and selective handpicking guarantee a quality which could live up to Burgundy's fame.





Why are they so expensive?



Other than costing at least as much as a mid-priced car, what do these wines have in common? For starters, all are French, nine are from Burgundy, and eight are various vintages of the legendary Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti – a property that has been growing grapes for the purpose of wine since 1232; so if you shell out for a bottle, you’re paying for centuries of excellence and knowledge.

And what's that we spy? A single wine from Bordeaux? If you're a big spender who bucks the trend and avoids Burgundy, you can splurge on a bottle of Château Cheval Blanc, which is a Premier Grand Cru Classé from the UNESCO World Heritage Site Saint-Émilion.

No surprise, knowing their reputations, that these wines are exceptionally highly rated. If you are lucky enough to have your wish come true and you get the chance to taste even one of these coveted bottles, you’re bound to have a transcendent experience. But we couldn't help but notice that none of these wines have a perfect 5-star rating from the Vivino community. It turns out no wine can ideally please every wine lover, no matter how much it costs. But while we are on the subject of price, let's examine why these wines are currently the most expensive bottles on the market.

From The Drops of God, a Japanese manga







Scarcity: a clear-cut case of supply and demand

All of the wines on this list are only the market in extremely limited quantities. Grand Cru Burgundies are known for their limited vintages, but Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s small plot of Romanée-Conti , at 1.81 hectares (4.47 acres), is especially miniscule in its production.

The top auction houses in the world know that any wine from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti automatically commands a high price. Tim Triptree, a senior specialist in the wine department at Christie’s, said Domaine de la Romanée-Conti wines “stand out for their scarcity and quality”, yet the most special of these special wines, Romanée-Conti, “fetches the highest prices of all”.

The Jayer family (from number four on the list), at one time, had a small plot ( 0.43 hectares , or 1.06 acres) in the Les Cruots section of Echézeaux Grand Cru. Henri Jayer only had the old vine section of his family’s 0.43 hectare plot, so the annual production was a infinitesimal. Since Jayer’s passing in 2006, his wines have become even more sought after. Since it is estimated that one acre of a low-yielding vineyard makes about 120 cases of wine , and considering that this list includes the most sought after vintages for these estates, one can imagine that there are a dearth of these for sale.

Château Cheval Blanc is estimated to produce close to 8,000 cases per year with its 39 hectare (96.37 acres) vineyard, yet the legend of the “fabled” 1947 vintage has made that particular year extremely scarce in the marketplace.

Terroir

Terroir is a topic that is much debated. Even what factors are included in the definition of this term conjures much discussion. The definition in The Oxford Companion to Wine by Jancis Robinson is intentionally broad: “Terroir—much-discussed term for the total natural environment of any viticultural site.”

Terroir plays a big part in the high perceived value of these wines. It’s no surprise that so many are from Burgundy, as Burgundy is known to possess the epitome of terroir. Some may say that the particular vineyard of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti is the ultimate epitome of the expression of terroir—a sense of place.

The vineyard of Romanée-Conti lies “precisely in mid-slope at an altitude of between 260 and 275 metres (853 to 902 feet), its incline of about 6 degrees ensures a perfect drainage without any grave danger of erosion and an aspect of marvellous exposure from early morning until dusk” says Clive Coates, MW. Allen Meadows, aka Burghound.

About the special terroir of this vineyard , he continues, “The subsoil is highly fractured, allowing roots to easily descend, with a higher proportion of clay in the topsoil than one might expect in a vineyard that produces such a fine wine.” Also, the historical significance of the Romanée-Conti soil is difficult to even fathom. It has been discovered that the underlying rock is Premeaux limestone, dates back 175 million years.

Many Burgundy connoisseurs claim that not all Echézeaux Grand Cru wines are created equal, and that is a fair point, given that the various plots within this vineyard have different soils and aspects and are owned by a multitude of producers.

The guru Henri Jayer thought the Les Cruots portion within Echézeaux was superior to other sections of this Grand Cru site. Allen Meadows , “None other than the world famous winemaker Henri Jayer told me point blank that Les Cruots was the best of the Echézeaux climats, noting that the red soil drained extremely well and rot was almost never a problem there. This is an extraordinary claim, as the two most revered climats historically have been Echézeaux du Dessus and Les Poulaillères. Then again, Jayer owned old vines in Les Cruots.”

Although Château Cheval Blanc is planted to 49% Cabernet Franc, 47% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, Master of Wine Clive Coates called it “the only great wine in the world made predominantly from Cabernet Franc”. Bordeaux expert Jeff Leve explains, in part, why the Cabernet Franc from this vineyard is spectacular :“The vineyard is divided into 45 separate plots. Generally speaking, Cheval Blanc has a slightly warmer micro climate, which helps to produce the beauty in their Cabernet Franc.”

What makes the idea of terroir tantalizing is the fact that a particular wine can only come from a specific place. If you took vine clippings from one of these famous vineyards and had unlimited resources for the best equipment, barrels, top consultants, etc., you still could not replicated these wines. They can only come from a certain piece of land, so if you want, for example, the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti experience, there is only a tiny 1.81 hectare vineyard that can give it to you.











Domaine de la Romanée Conti wine tasting in 2008

Quality

Many fine wine drinkers agree that iconic wines like these have a particular elegance, complexity, and deep concentration that make them memorable.

Burgundy expert Allen Meadows lists the 1978 Henri Jayer as one of the most memorable bottles of Echézeaux. He further notes that there is no reference standard today for Echézeaux since Henri Jayer passed; Jayer was the only high quality standard to make an Echézeaux Grand Cru wine. Clive Coates, MW wrote about the finesse and complexity of the 2005 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti , “But when it is at its best, as here in this 2005, it is quite sublime. One wonders how a wine could have more finesse, be more complex, more intensely flavored, more disarmingly perfect.”

In an article for Wine Business wine experts around the world seemed to marvel at the quality of the 1947 Château Cheval Blanc, “Renowned British writer and wine expert, Michael Broadbent calls the 1947 Château Cheval Blanc, ‘Unquestionably one of the greatest wines of all time.’ Jancis Robinson, the doyenne of British wine journalists, says, ‘The flavours develop on the finish in a peacock’s tail of complexity. I honestly don’t expect ever to taste a wine better than this.’ American author with Slate, Mike Steinberger, calls the ’47 Cheval Blanc, ‘The greatest wine on the planet.’”

These critics have tasted their fair share of iconic wines, so their impression that these are some of the best of the best lets wine lovers know that these wines are worthy of their place on this list.

Consistency

It is difficult for a wine producer to achieve true greatness unless they can consistently produce extremely high quality wines. This is a major reason why Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti dominates this list. It is not only due to how the vineyard is planted and cared for with “ high-density plantings (10,000 to 14,000 vines per hectare), vine age (the average is around 40 years) plowing, low yields, the use of compost and the unique plant material, much of which was propagated as a massal selection from La Romanée-Conti itself, where the vines remained ungrafted until 1945”.

Aubert de Villaine, co-owner and co-director of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, insists there is something special about the Romanée-Conti that allows it to make extraordinarily high quality wines consistently, year in and year out. de Villaine noticed , “the vines seem to tolerate stress better than those in the surrounding sites. During the exceptionally hot and dry 2003 vintage, the Romanée-Conti vines appeared unaffected, even compared with vines in Romanée-St. Vivant, where there is even more water-retaining clay.”

The wines of Henri Jayer are not only consistent due to his special plot in Echézeaux but their consistency lay with the man himself. Jayer popularized modern winemaking practices , and as Clive Coates, MW writes, “Jayer’s reputation, so high today, dates from the time he altered his vinification methods toward the end of the 1970s…there was a meticulous attention to cleanliness, keeping the wine topped up regularly in cask, and so on.” Not only did Jayer bring consistency to producing high quality wines for himself, but he has had many Burgundian disciples then implemented the practices that made his wines consistently great.

Even though many consider the 1947 vintage to have elevated Château Cheval Blanc to the ranks of the highest Bordeaux elite , it is a producer that has stayed consistent with delivering on its superlative reputation. Jeff Leve writes about his dependable experience with tasting the wines of Château Cheval Blanc, “In the wine of Cheval Blanc, you find the sexy, opulence of Pomerol, coupled with the flamboyance of St. Emilion. The wine is incredibly rich. Yet it’s never heavy. Cheval Blanc can be enjoyed young. However, it is one of the longest lived Bordeaux wines being produced.” And this from a Bordeaux expert who has tasted an uncountable number of legendary Bordeaux wines.

Vintage

As we have been examining these particular wines from acclaimed producers, we cannot help but notice the focus on certain, particular vintages. Why is it, when we examine the list, that the 2005 vintage of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti is significantly more expensive than the other vintages of the same wine?

Eminent wine critic Jancis Robinson points out , “Quite simple, nothing went wrong this vintage” and this sentiment about the 2005 vintage in Burgundy was echoed by Bruce Sanderson of Wine Spectator, “The 2005 vintage of red Burgundy was excellent, and I wanted to have some to enjoy 20 years down the road. I bought as much as I could afford.”

This astonishing vintage was described by Clive Coates, MW, “The relative shortness of the 2005 crop can be seen in the concentration of the wines. They also have depth, finesse, harmony, and the potential to last.” Top wine experts around the world seemed to unanimously agree that the 2005 vintage was an ideal year for red Burgundy.

Sometimes a vintage is considered outstanding because of a few of the astonishing wines it produced even if it didn’t result in greatness in the whole region. Serena Sutcliffe, MW, from Sotheby’s, distinguished the 1978 Henri Jayer Echézeaux during a recent auction, “This was the vintage that made Henri Jayer into a legend.” The 1978, however, was not necessarily a great vintage for other Burgundy producers.

This is also the case for the 1947 Bordeaux vintage as Jeff Leve states, “1947 Bordeaux wine occupies a legendary status that few other Bordeaux vintages will equal. Of course part of this is due to the amazing wines produced in the Right Bank. The majority of great 1947 Bordeaux wines come from Pomerol. Chateau Lafleur, Petrus, Chateau Latour A’ Pomerol [sic] and others are spoken about in revered voices. But, let’s not forget the Bordeaux wine many people consider the wine of 1947 Bordeaux vintage, as well as a candidate for one of the wines of the century, 1947 Cheval Blanc from St. Emilion!”

The Director of Cheval Blanc, Pierre Lurton , said that the ’47 is “miracle juice” considering the great difficulty Bordeaux had recovering from the ravages of World War II; it is remarkable that it turned into the “ethereal wonder” that it is. Also, the wine that year suffered from a stuck fermentation due to high alcohol for the time, 14.4% abv, yet it miraculously not only turned out to be a great wine, but by some standards, the Cheval Blanc vintage of a century. Pierre Lurton explains, “All the faults became qualities; all of these excesses went into the service of an exceptional wine.”

Je Ne Sais Quoi

Some wines just have a “je ne sais quoi”—something special. Allen Meadows writes about why the vineyard Romanée-Conti makes more sought after wines than its exceptional neighbors La Tâche, Richebourg, and La Romanée, “So if Romanée-Conti is not obviously superior to its neighbors’ attributes, how can it be considered the better wine? The answer is disarmingly straightforward. Completeness. Romanée-Conti is supreme because it lacks for nothing. It gathers and concentrates. It is simply able to offer each of the attributes that its neighbors boasts.”

He goes on to call the wines it produces “universal genius wrapped in utter seduction.” When it comes to describing the 2005 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti, he best sums up why this wine may be so highly prized, “In a word, this is mind-bending and in a visceral sense, this is a monumental wine of real emotional impact.”

Serena Sutcliffe, head of Sotheby's international wine department, described Romanée-Conti as having a “breed and refinement” that points to “an indefinable ‘something extra’” about these wines.

So which of these top dollar bottles would make it onto your ultimate wine wishlist? It’s good to have it figured out, just in case Bacchus were to show up and ask. But until then, if learning about these wines has put you in the mood to treat yourself to a great bottle at a less dizzying price, use Vivino’s Wine Explorer. How does Pinot Noir rated between 4 and 5 stars for under $100 sound ? That should keep your palate happy while you save up for that bottle of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti.





