Liv-ex Power 100 list: Top 10

The winds of change are blowing through the Liv-ex Power 100 list, as this year’s top 10 reveals.

Back in 2011 the ten most powerful wines in the world were all French and all from Bordeaux, bar one solitary Burgundy (DRC). Out in the lead was Lafite, now relegated to 18th in a list that has blown wide open in the last three years.

As db’s editor-in-chief, Patrick Schmitt writes: “Except for Spain, every major classic fine wine-producing region is represented within the first fifth of 2014’s list: there are brands from Right and Left Bank Bordeaux, Burgundy, Northern and Southern Rhône, Sauternes, Tuscany, Piedmont, Napa, Champagne, and Australia.”

The annual Liv-ex Power 100 is a co-production by Liv-ex and the Drinks Business that ranks the world’s top fine wines. The full list appears as part of a detailed 18 page report in the db’s December issue, with analysis from Liv-ex director Justin Gibbs and leading merchants including Garry Boom (Bordeaux Index), Joss Fowler (Fine & Rare) and Jake Dean (Berry Bros. & Rudd).

The ranking is based on five criteria:

• Price performance (comparing the price of a case of wine on 1 September 2013 with 31 August 2014)
• Critical score (a brand’s average score from the last five vintages by Robert Parker, or, if unavailable, by The Wine Spectator, Allen Meadows (Burghound) etc.)
• Trading performance (a combination of a brand’s trade by volume and value on Liv-ex over the last 12 months)
• Scale (the number of wines/vintages traded across a brand)
• Average price (a volume-weighted average trade price for all units traded during the period)

These individual rankings were then combined with a weighting of 1 for each criteria, except trading performance which had a weighting of 1.5 (as it combined two criteria).

Click through for this year’s top ten…

10. Château d’Yquem

The world’s greatest sweet wine squeaks in to the top 10 with a total score of 281.5. Château d’Yquem dates from the 15^th century and was finally wrestled from family hands in 1999 to join LVMH. An average of 65,000 bottles a year are produced from around 100 ha. in production.

Last year d’Yquem was ranked 22nd.

Average Price over the period: £1,978 (US$3,102)

9. Château Latour

The mighty Latour is back in the top 10 with a score of 271. The estate has 78 hectares in Pauillac and an annual production of around 18,000 cases. In 2012 it famously announced it was leaving the en primeur system.

Last year Latour was ranked 15th.

Average Price over the period: £3,809 (US$5,973)

8. Guigal

One of the world’s most sought-after names in the Rhône, Guigal is famed for its single estate ‘La La’ wines which have been securing 100 points of late. In 2014 it scored 259.5

Last year Guigal was ranked 13th.

Average Price over the period: £1,882 (US$2,951)

7. Château Mouton Rothschild

This year the venerable 82 ha estate in Pauillac lost its matriarch with the death of Phillipine de Rothschild. With a score of 240 its position remains unchanged.

Last year Mouton Rothschild was ranked 7th.

Average Price over the period: £3,378 (US$5,296)

6. Château Pétrus

This year the legendary Pétrus has slipped slightly with a score of 235.5. With its tiny average production of just 30,000 bottles, it remains Bordeaux’s gold standard on price.

Last year Pétrus was ranked 3rd.

Average Price over the period: £19,245 (US$30,174)

5. Château Haut Brion

With a fan club stretching back to Samuel Pepys and an annual production of 10-12,000 bottles, Haut Brion has been somewhat overshadowed among the First Growths. This year it stood still with a score of 225.5.

Last year Haut Brion was ranked 5th.

Average Price over the period: £2,694 (US$4,224)

4. Domaine de la Romanée Conti

The legendary DRC has stormed back into the top 10 with a score of 224. The most rarefied wine on the planet also boasts the highest price on the list.

Last year DRC was ranked 15th.

Average Price over the period: £19,600 (US$30,731)

3. Sassicaia

The seminal Super-Tuscan is one of this year’s highest movers with a score of 218. Sassicaia’s current annual production is around 150,000 bottles from 75 ha.

Last year Sassicaia was ranked 39th.

Average Price over the period: £1,079 (US$1,693)

2. Château Cheval Blanc

This year Cheval Blanc jumped an impressive 36 places to join the top three wines in the 2014 power list. Every year around 6,000 cases of the Grand vin are produced

Last year Cheval Blanc was ranked 38th.

Average Price over the period: £4,389 (US$6,881)

1. Château Pavie

Taking the top spot for the second time in a row is Château Pavie with a score of 164. Two years ago it was elevated to a St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé A, and scored 100 points in 2009 and 2010.

Last year Pavie was ranked 1st.

Average Price over the period: £1,992 (US$3,123)