Having a taste for fine wines is something that is reserved for a select few and even rarer is the ability to possess some of the most priceless wines ever known to mankind. These rare one-of-a-kind wines are for the true blue-blooded oenophiles that are willing to spend a fortune, whether it be for a $500,000 Screaming Eagle or the costliest champagne ever a 1907 Heidsieck, which is a treasure by itself. These have matured and perfected over the decades and in some cases centuries that tantalise the tastebuds and fire the imagination of wine connoisseurs the world over.
In this blog we examine some of the sought-after wines to have been auctioned to date:
Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon 1992, US$500,000
Heidi Peterson Barrett is one of the finest American vintners around whose creations are lauded by wine connoisseurs from all over the world. With some of the most exclusive wines, a very limited product and garnering high scores with some of the most discerning wine critics, Heidi’s Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon 1992 is a masterpiece like none other. With close to a perfect score of 99 from the esteemed wine critic Robert Parker, it comes as no surprise that this six-litre bottle of 92 Screaming Eagle fetched a cool half a million dollars at an auction. Its taste is a unique blend of blackcurrants with notes of oak and strong tannin that leaves its samplers mesmerised.
Chateau Cheval Blanc 1947, US$305,000
Among the top vintages of 1947, the Cheval Blanc Bordeaux wine’s initial prospects were not considered too bright due to the heat wave that damaged the vines with growers resorting to extreme methods like ice to cool the plants. Thankfully, Cheval refrained from doing so with the vineyard’s location working in his favor and spared the scorching heat that other wine growers faced in the region. A dark viscous textured wine with an ABV of 14.4%, finding a case of this vintage is extremely rare with it appearing on the market just once every decade and expected to be more infrequent in coming times. Christie’s auctioned an imperial of Cheval Blanc for $304,375.
Jeroboam of Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 1945, US$310,000
Call it a vintage celebrating the Allied victory in WWII, with a distinctive V on its label, the Chateau Mouton Rothschild’s Jeroboam was bottled in 1945. It gained traction among wine purists as being one of the best red wines to have been produced and was auctioned by Christie’s to an anonymous buyer for a cool $310,000.
Shipwrecked 1907 Heidsieck, US$275,000
The provenance of the 1907 Heidsieck is from the unlikely location of the Gulf of Finland nowhere else courtesy of a shipwreck found in 1998. It is one of the most expensive champagnes in history with 2000 bottles found remarkably intact. Each sold for an eyewatering $275,000 per bottle mainly to the Russian crème de la crème. The irony is it was on its way to the Russian Imperial Court when the Heidsieck was sunk by a U-Boat in 1907. It found its way back to Russia albeit at an astronomical price tag per bottle more than 90 years later.
Chateau Lafite 1869, US$230,000
Originating in Pauillac from the beautiful Médoc wine region, the Château Lafite-Rothschild is world famous with 1869 recognized as among its premium vintages. Sotheby’s sold 3 bottles of this fine vintage at $232,000 per piece. The secret lies in the Gironde’s sandy gravel that is ideal for the cabernet sauvignon grape that produces the finest red wines in the world.
Chateau Margaux 1787, US$225,000
The USP of the Chateau Margaux is it being a Bordeaux Chateau that has remained consistent since the 1700s, as one of the finest wine producers on the planet without exception. A wine merchant and seller tripped and dropped a bottle of 1787 during a tasting that was valued at a fantastic $500,000 at the Four Seasons in New York. Despite the irreplaceable loss, the merchant was compensated by the insurance company for $225,000 which makes it one of the most valuable wines on our list.
Ampoule from Penfolds, AU$168,000
With a 90-point score by critics, Block 42 Kalimna cabernet sauvignon comprises 12 unique handcrafted ampoules from Australia’s best artists as part of the Penfolds Ampoule Project. Every ampoule holds 750ml as a regular bottle and costs a whopping AU$168,000 apiece. There are just 11 of these fine objects of art in creation and if a purchaser decides they want a taste, the company is ready to fulfil their demands to visit anywhere on the planet.
Chateau Lafite 1787, US$156,450
The Chateau Lafite 1787 was one of the most treasured finds to be discovered in a Parisian wine cellar among a host of other vintages. On the bottle was inscribed the year 1787, Lafite, with the initial ThJ, leading to speculation that it once was the property of Thomas Jefferson one of the founding fathers of American Independence. The bottle’s engravings were determined to be from France from the 1800s as per Christie’s experts. Jefferson had developed a penchant for fine French wine when he was stationed as America’s representative to France. Whether its provenance is genuine or not, the fact that it sold for a princely sum of $156,450 at a Christie’s auction makes it a befitting addition to the list of priceless wines to be sold.