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Best performing fine wines highlight continued demand for older vintages

07 January 2025 By Arabella Mileham

Older vintages remained at the forefront of the fine wine market during 2024, according to new data from Wine Cap.

The best performing wine came from the Rhône, despite wider prices of wines from the region falling by an average of 9.9% year-on-year. Domaine Pegau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée Rouge 2013 racked up an impressive 80.5% rise, followed by Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge 2014, up 61.2%, and Château de Beaucastel Rouge 2013 up by 31%. (31.1%), highlighting the continuing demand for Châteauneuf-du-Pape from highly-rated mature vintages.

Château de Beaucastel Hommage a Jacques Perrin also rose by 20%, but was pipped into fifth place by the 2010 Vega Sicilia Unico from Ribera del Duero, which increased by 24.9%.

Two Bordeaux’s made the top ten – Ducru-Beaucaillou 2013 (up 19.2%) and Château L’Eglise-Clinet 2012 in tenth position (up 3.9%), along with two Sauternes, Château Rieussec from the 2015 and 2014 vintages. Rounding out the list in ninth position was 2014 Fontodi Flaccianello delle Pieve, a “Tuscan gem… that reflects the growing international appeal of Italy’s finest wines”, Wine Cap said, up 6.8% in value.

As Wine Cap noted, “The unifying thread across these top-performing wines is their maturity”.

“This preference for older wines reflects a broader trend within the fine wine market: a growing appreciation for provenance and readiness to drink,” it said. “As global markets for fine wine continue to mature, buyers are prioritising wines with a proven track record, both in terms of quality and price appreciation.”

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