Rhône shines at iDealwine

A bottle of 1961 Hermitage La Chapelle was the most expensive wine sold by online auctioneer iDealwine in the first half of the year.

The legendary vintage from the Rhône’s Paul Jaboulet Aîné was the highest-selling bottle of wine sold by the site after the 12 sales it conducted in the first six months of the year – knocking Domaine de la Romanée-Conti from its usual perch.

The bottle sold for €13,200 which was just ahead of the highest-selling DRC, a bottle of 2009 Romanée-Conti which went for €11,160.

Nor was the Hermitage the sole Rhône wine to be among the best-sellers of the year so far as it was joined by a bottle apiece of the 1995 and 2000 vintages of Cuvée Cathelin from Domaine Jean-Louis Chave.

Nonetheless, of the 25 top-selling wines on the site this year, 19 of them were either DRC or Petrus; the two fine wines which currently dominate the auction circuit.

A 1955 bottle of Chambertin from Leroy was also in the upper echelons of the results, so too a bottle of Vosne-Romanée ‘Les Brûlées’ from Henri Jayer.

Elsewhere there were good results for standout bottles of Trimbach and Clos Rougeard, a Jeroboam of Cristal and Bollinger Vieilles Vignes.

When it came to lots sold by the case, Bordeaux dominated absolutely with all 25 of the best-selling lots being claret.

The most expensive case sold by iDealwine so far this year was a 12-pack of 2000 Mouton Rothschild which realised €16,650. Grand crus such as Petrus, Haut-Brion, Ausone and Cheval Blanc from the 2000 vintage were also well sold.