Top 10 Most Expensive Wines Ever Sold

A 6-litre imperial bottle of Screaming Eagle's debut 1992 Cabernet Sauvignon sold for $500,000 at the Napa Valley Wine Auction in 2000, making it the most expensive bottle ever sold at that time. Screaming Eagle is one of the world's most sought-after cult wines, producing only around 500 cases per year from a tiny Oakville, Napa Valley estate. The wine received a perfect 100-point score from critic Robert Parker. Membership on the mailing list, the only way to buy it directly, has a waitlist of thousands.

A bottle of Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1945 sold for $310,700 at Christie's in 1997, setting a then-world record for a single bottle of Bordeaux. The 1945 vintage is considered the greatest year in Bordeaux history — produced in the summer of Germany's defeat, the vines absorbed a heat wave that concentrated sugars to extraordinary levels. Mouton Rothschild's 1945 label features a victory "V" designed by Philippe Jullian. Parker awarded it a perfect 100 points and described it as one of the two or three greatest wines he had ever tasted.

A bottle of Chateau Margaux 1787, believed to have belonged to Thomas Jefferson during his time as American minister to France, sold at Christie's London in 1987 for $225,000 — the highest price ever paid for a single bottle at that time. The bottle was engraved "Th.J" and was part of a cellar discovered in Paris. Jefferson was a famous wine enthusiast who ordered extensive quantities of Bordeaux for the White House. The authenticity of the so-called "Jefferson bottles" has since been disputed, making this sale one of the most controversial in auction history.

Chateau Petrus 1945 regularly achieves prices above $35,000–$50,000 per bottle at specialist auctions, with a single case selling at Christie's for over $157,000. Petrus is the most prestigious estate in Pomerol, producing roughly 2,500–3,000 cases per year from 11.4 hectares of clay-rich soil that gives its Merlot-dominant blend an unmatched density and longevity. The 1945 vintage — harvested under exceptional summer heat — is considered among the greatest Petrus ever produced and one of the most complex wines in existence.

The 1947 Chateau Cheval Blanc is widely considered the greatest wine ever produced in Saint-Emilion and possibly in all of Bordeaux. The extraordinary summer of 1947 — an extreme heat wave that concentrated sugar levels to near-port richness — created a wine of almost unclassifiable style. A 6-litre imperial sold at Christie's Geneva in 2010 for $304,375. Robert Parker, who gave it 100 points, wrote that it was "possibly the most perfect wine I have ever tasted." Bottles in 750ml format regularly sell for $8,000–$15,000 at auction.

The Domaine de la Romanee-Conti 1990 achieved $28,112 per bottle at Zachys auction in 2014, and a single original wooden case of 12 bottles sold for over $476,000. The 1990 is considered among the five greatest DRC vintages of the 20th century — a year of perfect balance between the concentration of a hot summer and the freshness of well-timed rains. The vineyard covers just 1.8 hectares in Vosne-Romanee, Burgundy, and produces approximately 6,000 bottles per year. It is the most fought-over small vineyard on earth.

The 1961 Bordeaux vintage is considered by many critics the finest of the 20th century, and Chateau Latour's version is regarded as the best wine of that extraordinary year. A 12-bottle case of Latour 1961 sold at Sotheby's for $57,000 in 2012, and individual magnums have exceeded $8,000 at auction. The year was marked by a spring frost that dramatically reduced yields, concentrating what remained into wines of enormous structure and longevity. Latour 1961 is still evolving in bottle after 60 years — a living argument for the greatest estates of Bordeaux.

Paul Jaboulet Aine's Hermitage La Chapelle 1961 is the most celebrated wine ever produced in the Rhone Valley, and one of the greatest bottles produced anywhere in the world in the 20th century. A case of 12 sold at Christie's in 1997 for $57,600, and individual bottles have since fetched over $6,000. The wine comes from a granitic hill above the town of Tain-l'Hermitage and is made almost entirely from Syrah. Parker awarded the 1961 a perfect 100 points and described it as approaching "perfection in a glass." It put the Northern Rhone on the global fine wine map permanently.

A bottle of Chateau d'Yquem from the legendary 1811 comet vintage sold at Acker Merrall & Condit in 2011 for $117,000 — the most ever paid for a half-bottle of dessert wine. The 1811 is among the oldest wines ever sold at public auction and coincided with the year the Great Comet was visible over Europe, considered an omen of great vintages. D'Yquem is the only Sauternes property ever awarded Premier Cru Superieur classification, producing approximately 65,000–85,000 half-bottles of intensely sweet botrytised Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc per year.

A 6-litre imperial bottle of Screaming Eagle's debut 1992 Cabernet Sauvignon sold for $500,000 at the Napa Valley Wine Auction in 2000, making it the most expensive bottle ever sold at that time. Screaming Eagle is one of the world's most sought-after cult wines, producing only around 500 cases per year from a tiny Oakville, Napa Valley estate. The wine received a perfect 100-point score from critic Robert Parker. Membership on the mailing list, the only way to buy it directly, has a waitlist of thousands.

A bottle of Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1945 sold for $310,700 at Christie's in 1997, setting a then-world record for a single bottle of Bordeaux. The 1945 vintage is considered the greatest year in Bordeaux history — produced in the summer of Germany's defeat, the vines absorbed a heat wave that concentrated sugars to extraordinary levels. Mouton Rothschild's 1945 label features a victory "V" designed by Philippe Jullian. Parker awarded it a perfect 100 points and described it as one of the two or three greatest wines he had ever tasted.

A bottle of Chateau Margaux 1787, believed to have belonged to Thomas Jefferson during his time as American minister to France, sold at Christie's London in 1987 for $225,000 — the highest price ever paid for a single bottle at that time. The bottle was engraved "Th.J" and was part of a cellar discovered in Paris. Jefferson was a famous wine enthusiast who ordered extensive quantities of Bordeaux for the White House. The authenticity of the so-called "Jefferson bottles" has since been disputed, making this sale one of the most controversial in auction history.

Chateau Petrus 1945 regularly achieves prices above $35,000–$50,000 per bottle at specialist auctions, with a single case selling at Christie's for over $157,000. Petrus is the most prestigious estate in Pomerol, producing roughly 2,500–3,000 cases per year from 11.4 hectares of clay-rich soil that gives its Merlot-dominant blend an unmatched density and longevity. The 1945 vintage — harvested under exceptional summer heat — is considered among the greatest Petrus ever produced and one of the most complex wines in existence.

The 1947 Chateau Cheval Blanc is widely considered the greatest wine ever produced in Saint-Emilion and possibly in all of Bordeaux. The extraordinary summer of 1947 — an extreme heat wave that concentrated sugar levels to near-port richness — created a wine of almost unclassifiable style. A 6-litre imperial sold at Christie's Geneva in 2010 for $304,375. Robert Parker, who gave it 100 points, wrote that it was "possibly the most perfect wine I have ever tasted." Bottles in 750ml format regularly sell for $8,000–$15,000 at auction.

The Domaine de la Romanee-Conti 1990 achieved $28,112 per bottle at Zachys auction in 2014, and a single original wooden case of 12 bottles sold for over $476,000. The 1990 is considered among the five greatest DRC vintages of the 20th century — a year of perfect balance between the concentration of a hot summer and the freshness of well-timed rains. The vineyard covers just 1.8 hectares in Vosne-Romanee, Burgundy, and produces approximately 6,000 bottles per year. It is the most fought-over small vineyard on earth.

The 1961 Bordeaux vintage is considered by many critics the finest of the 20th century, and Chateau Latour's version is regarded as the best wine of that extraordinary year. A 12-bottle case of Latour 1961 sold at Sotheby's for $57,000 in 2012, and individual magnums have exceeded $8,000 at auction. The year was marked by a spring frost that dramatically reduced yields, concentrating what remained into wines of enormous structure and longevity. Latour 1961 is still evolving in bottle after 60 years — a living argument for the greatest estates of Bordeaux.

Paul Jaboulet Aine's Hermitage La Chapelle 1961 is the most celebrated wine ever produced in the Rhone Valley, and one of the greatest bottles produced anywhere in the world in the 20th century. A case of 12 sold at Christie's in 1997 for $57,600, and individual bottles have since fetched over $6,000. The wine comes from a granitic hill above the town of Tain-l'Hermitage and is made almost entirely from Syrah. Parker awarded the 1961 a perfect 100 points and described it as approaching "perfection in a glass." It put the Northern Rhone on the global fine wine map permanently.

A bottle of Chateau d'Yquem from the legendary 1811 comet vintage sold at Acker Merrall & Condit in 2011 for $117,000 — the most ever paid for a half-bottle of dessert wine. The 1811 is among the oldest wines ever sold at public auction and coincided with the year the Great Comet was visible over Europe, considered an omen of great vintages. D'Yquem is the only Sauternes property ever awarded Premier Cru Superieur classification, producing approximately 65,000–85,000 half-bottles of intensely sweet botrytised Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc per year.