If price is any indication of rarity these wines certainly qualify especially with well-known names like Chateau d'Yquem, Lafite, and Château Pétrus. Some of the rarest bottles in the world lie in collector's cellars and some pass through well-known auction houses such as Christie's and Sotheby's, sold to the highest bidder. Most wines are from abroad, some are from the U.S., but all are coveted by the true connoisseur. One of the rarest bottles ever sold was purchased by Christopher Forbes for a mere £105,000 ($160,000). It was an unmarked green glass bottle with the inscription of "1787 Lafitte Th. J." (now known as Lafite and thought to be owned by Thomas Jefferson), found behind a wall in Paris. The third president of the U.S. is also associated with the most expensive white wine ever sold 1787 Chateau d'Yquem for $56,588. Last year's top lot of the year at Christie's was a 12-bottle case of 1961 Hermitage, La Chapelle sold in London for £123,750 which set a new world auction record for a case of Rhone wine and for any wine case sold in Europe. On December 1st, 2007, Sotheby's had an auction of Finest and Rarest Wines featuring 1,795 lots but the highlight was a case of 2000 Château Pétrus which sold for $44,812 as well as a case of 1998 Pétrus for $41,825.
The world of wine has many gems which would be impossible to all highlight here. Maybe there are even more hidden behind walls and in cellars underground.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-31-2008 @ 7:04PM
peter said...
I believe a jereboam of Screaming Eagle sold a few years back for $500K at a charity auction.
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2-05-2008 @ 12:31PM
rick said...
Do you know what a bottle of LAFITTE CHATEAU ROTHSCHILD 1970 MOULON WITH THE CHAGAUL LABEL IS WORTH? I have one and don't know what to do with it. sincerely, if you know I'd love a response. thanks, rick
2-04-2008 @ 1:58PM
Paul said...
The Lafitte Th J Bottles are counterfeit.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/09/03/070903fa_fact_keefe
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2-18-2008 @ 8:40PM
Frank said...
$70 if the bottle is empty, $100 to $500 if the wine is in perfect condition
2-05-2008 @ 12:34PM
Perry Allotta said...
I still have a bottle of Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1958
a bottle of 1967, and a bottle of Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1966. How will be the wine inside the glass ?
When I purchased the Chateau Lafite at Macy's many years ago, was wonderful, but after so many years i don't bet in it. Wine will spoil very often and to spend money in any kind of wine is CRAZY..unless you are millionaire.
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2-11-2008 @ 8:04PM
Frank said...
Wine of this caliber only has high value when it's part of a collection :an auction house or potential customer can identify origin,backround and storage condition, if you have a cellar and many bottles, in good shape they will go for more money, if you have just a few bottles they have less to no value:
Mouton 1958 will range from $ 500 to $ 2000 a bt, 1967 $ 200 to $1000 ( 67 was not a great vintage) and the Lafite 1966 $250 to 1000.
2-11-2008 @ 8:06PM
Frank said...
Drink it if you can( it's probably bad) but keep the label it's a great story
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2-22-2008 @ 11:01AM
Clarity said...
I have a 1989 Petrus Anyone know the value and how to sell it
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2-22-2008 @ 11:03AM
Diane said...
I found 2 bottles 1 --dom perignon vintage 1983 &
Gordon Rouge vintage 1929 does anybody know how much they are worth??? thanks Diane
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2-22-2008 @ 1:00PM
Adam said...
All of your old bottles may for sure be worth something, but more than likely they are not drinkable. In order for a wine to survive and improve over time, it must first be a wine capable of aging---probably less than 1% of wine produced is capable of making it past ten years. Further, the wine must be kept in cellar conditions (54* fahrenheit and 75% humidity) to have a chance of being drinkable. For the people asking about their older bottles, ask yourselves whether the bottles have been properly cared for. If not, you have a collector's piece to show your friends, but it's doubtful if you have a quaffable beverage worth the kind of cash this article is speaking of.
P.S. The New Yorker article link posted by Paul is an excellent read. I have no doubt that the Jefferson bottles are a fake and that the man who procured and sold them is a fraud--supposedly they're making a movie about it
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3-01-2008 @ 10:14AM
nmallis said...
I have a bottle of Heitz 1967 Marthas Vineard cabernet given to me by Joe Heitz . Is it valuable or should I drink it?
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3-04-2008 @ 9:11AM
janice gale said...
why does my comment disappear after I log off????
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3-04-2008 @ 10:26AM
Mike Reynolds said...
I have over 300 bottles of wine that I have stored smartly. I din't intend to collect these wines but each time I would bring a bottle home to enjoy, a few years later there it sits, un-corked. All this talking about wine makes me want to open one and enjoy its tastes. Perhaps maybe I'll just go a buy a bottle instead. LOL
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3-06-2008 @ 5:58PM
janice gale said...
I have an exquisite hand blown crystal decanter which is an exact reproduction of a rare decanter used during the period of Louis x111 This was produced exclusively for Remy Martin & Co by the world famous Baccarrat Cristellerie of France. It is Cognac Grande Cahmpagne and was served to their Majesties King George V1 & Queen Elizabeth @ chateau Versailles Julky 21, 1938 I have had this bottle over 50 years and is not been opened. Do you think there is a value on this??
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4-13-2008 @ 5:44PM
alan F said...
I have 2 cases of Mouton Rothschild (1982 & 1986) that I have kept in a wine cooler at constant temp. What is the value and how can I sell them?
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