Best-selling labels at Sotheby’s in 2015

As was recently reported, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti topped the auction house’s sales rankings by value for the third year in a row in 2015.

The house made US$60.4 million from its fine wine sales in 2015, the top lot being six bottles of 1990 DRC which fetched $158,000 in Hong Kong.

Overall, DRC sales increased 16% to $10.3m, which represented 17% of total wine sales.

Burgundy in general increased its sales total in 2015 with two new labels jumping up into the top 10.

Bordeaux saw sales decline slightly but it still dominates the list and several high-profile ex-cellar sales from Mouton Rothschild and Margaux saw those particular estates boost their rankings between 2014 and 2015.

10. Georges Roumier

2014 ranking: 16
2015 sales: US$1.4m
Change vs 2014: 113%

A new addition to the list this year, Roumier rose six places to replace Domaine Joseph Drouhin which scooped tenth place in 2014.

Drouhin managed its rise through an ex-cellar consignment but Roumier is likely benefitting from the ever-spiralling prices of fine Burgundy.

9. Henri Jayer

2014 ranking: 9
2015 sales: US$1.6m
Change vs 2014: -16%

Holding steady at number nine, Jayer actually dropped one place in the overall Burgundy rankings between 2014 and 2015.

Nonetheless, this remains one of Burgundy’s collectible labels – the fine wine equivalent of a closed Scotch whisky distillery even if his nephew, Emmanuel Rouget, still makes wine from the same vineyards.

8. Château Haut-Brion

2014 ranking: 8
2015 sales: US$1.6m
Change vs 2014: -39%

Although touted as one of the fine wine ‘winners’ of 2015, in Sotheby’s auction world at least the first growth had a relatively torrid time of it, sales dropping 39% in value from US$2.7m in 2014 to US$1.6m.

In fact Haut-Brion has been on a slide at Sotheby’s sales since 2013 when it held fourth place in the rankings.

7. Armand Rousseau

2014 ranking: 12
2015 sales: US$1.8m
Change vs 2014: 88%

The second new addition to the list in 2015 and the highest-placed new entrant. With Margaux rising (see a little further on), the Burgundian estate pushed out St Emilion’s Cheval Blanc.

Rousseau has been on Burgundy-buyers’ radars for some time now but as DRC becomes ever harder to afford to mere mortals, his collection of grand cru Chambertins and various ‘clos’ have gained ever-greater traction among collectors.

Rousseau’s wines also bumped Henri Jayer into third place in Sotheby’s Burgundy rankings.

6. Château Latour

2014 ranking: 4
2015 sales: US$2.3m
Change vs 2014: –45%

A return to its 2013 ranking for Latour, which made almost twice as much in sales in 2014.

Like Haut-Brion, Latour has clearly suffered from all the attention going the way of the three other first growths on the auction circuit last year.

5. Château Petrus

2014 ranking: 2

2015 sales: US$3m

Change vs 2014: -49%

Speaking of Petrus though, it, like Latour, has seen its haul effectively halved since 2014.

Seeing that the Pomerol estate still seems to dominate best-selling lots at sales around the world, perhaps it’s more a case that less stock found its way to auction in 2015?

4. Château Margaux

2014 ranking: 7
2015 sales: US$3.5m
Change vs 2014: -2%

A hefty jump for Margaux, helped in no small measure by a very successful ex-cellar sale in New York last autumn that realised US$2.8m – as that’s almost the entirety of the estate’s sales in 2015 though, without it would it have made the top 10 at all?

3. Château Lafite

2014 ranking: 3
2015 sales: US$3.6m
Change vs 2014: -23%

Despite a few years down in the dumps, Lafite has managed to hold onto a high ranking in the past couple of years.

Value dipped overall in 2015 but the start to 2016 pointed to the possibility that the original superstar first growth is back in favour.

2. Château Mouton Rothschild

2014 ranking: 5
2015 sales: US$6.1m
Change vs 2014: 53%

Speaking of superstar first growths, even if Lafite is readying itself for a future comeback tour, Mouton is definitely the star of the moment.

Like Margaux that success in the Sotheby’s rankings rests upon a wildly successful ex-cellar sale in Hong Kong.

Capitalising on the Year of the Ram in 2015, the sale saw a record US$4.1m haul for the Pauillac estate. Again, like, Margaux if that sale hadn’t happened or had been less successful it’s arguable Mouton wouldn’t be placed quite so highly.

Look beyond the auction world though and as the most-searched for wine on Liv-ex and with Petit Mouton streaking ahead, it was certainly more than just a fluke result.

1. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti

2014 ranking: 1
2015 sales: US$10.3m
Change vs 2014: 16%

There’s not much to say about DRC. The most valuable wine for Sotheby’s for the last three years straight and with annual gains to boot (2014’s US$8.9m was a 24% increase on 2013).

That said, while it still registered a rise in value in 2015, the growth wasn’t it strong as it had been between 2013-2014.

Prices for DRC have been flat in the secondary market for a number of years now – is there a point they’ll begin to falter at auction any time soon?