Well, according to Sotheby’s:

Here are our highlights from 2018, a record breaking year:

– Annual wine and spirits sales exceed $100 million for first time

– Sotheby’s has achieved over $1.1 billion in wine auction sales worldwide since 1995

– Auction sales surged over 50%

– #1 worldwide in live Auction sales, and #1 overall in Asia

– World’s most expensive bottle of wine sold at $558,000

– Highest price for any spirit in the Americas at $843,200

– Burgundy represented 42% of sales

– Asian buyers represented 63% of sales

– #1 Wine producer is Domaine de la Romanée-Conti at $24 million / 21% of sales

– Retail has highest level of sales ever, in both Asia and New York

– Highest value single retail transaction at US$1.5 Million

It’s probably good that I’m enjoying some Beaujolais this week, if DRC is now 24 million a bottle (give it time!)….

Hot from my inbox this morning from my usual Swiss importer source. The prices of the 2016s and 2015s are in brackets for you to compare. My full report on the 2017s will be online in 10 days, but for any subscriber desperate for info on these, feel free to send me a note:

DOMAINE WILLIAM FEVRE CHABLIS 2017
CHABLIS Village 75cl 22.00 (22.00, 19.00) Swiss Francs*
PREMIERS CRUS
CHABLIS Montée de Tonnerre 75cl 48.00 (45.00, 42.00)
CHABLIS Vaulorent 75cl 54.00 (—)
GRANDS CRUS
CHABLIS Preuses 75cl 78.00 (75.00, 65.00)
CHABLIS Bougros Côtes de Bouquerots 75cl 79.50 (79.00, 65.00)
CHABLIS Les Clos 75cl 89.00 (89.00, 75.00)

No surprise that there has been no relaxation of most prices – only the volumes of villages Chablis recovered, some, in 2017. For the others the frost was often worse than in 2016…
*The prices are ‘delivered’ but will attract another 8% Swiss purchase tax.

Whilst I may have missed the 14s, here you can see the ‘progression’ of same merchant’s prices (in Switzerland) for the 12s, 13s, 15s, 16s and now the 2017s. The format here for the prices is simple: 2017 (2016, 2015, 2013, 2012) and — if not previously offered…

DOMAINE FAIVELEY 2017 – En Primeur

PREMIERS CRUS
Pommard Rugiens 2017 75cl 75.00 (86.00, —)
Gevrey-Chambertin Clos des Issarts 2017 75cl 69.00 (—)
Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 2017 75cl 79.00 (84.00, 78.00, 72.50, 69.80) Swiss Francs*
Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 2017 150cl 163.00 (173.00, 161.00, —, —)
Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Saint-Georges 2017 75cl 99.00 (115.00, 98.00, 98.00, 98.00)
Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Saint-Georges 2017 150cl — (235.00, —)
Chambolle-Musigny Les Fuées 2017 75cl 125.00 (135.00, 128.00, 119.00, 119.00)
Chambolle-Musigny la Combe d’Orveau 2017 75cl 119.00 (132.00, 124.00, 119.00, 119.00)
Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses 2017 75cl 199.00 (249.00, 229.00, 228.00, 228.00)

GRAND CRUS
Corton Clos des Cortons 2017 75cl 149.00 (169.00, 149.00, 139.00, 139)
Corton Clos des Cortons 2017 150cl 303.00 (343.00, 303.00, 283.00, 283)
Corton Clos des Cortons 2017 300cl 656.00 (736.00, 656.00, —, —)
Echezeaux 2017 75cl — (165.00, 149.00, —, —)
Mazis-Chambertin 2017 75cl 178.00 (198.00, 179.00, 167.00, 169)
Mazis-Chambertin 2017 150cl 361.00 (401.00, 363.00, —, —)
Mazis-Chambertin 2017 300cl 776.00 (852.00, 776.00, —, —)
Grands Echezeaux 2017 75cl 188.00 (208.00, 198.00, 198.00, —)
Charmes-Chambertin 2017 75cl — (165.00, —)
Latricières-Chambertin 2017 75cl 165.00 (189.00, —)
Clos de Vougeot 2017 75cl — (159.00, —)
Chambertin Clos de Bèze 2017 75cl 249.00 (299.00, 278.00, 249.00, 235)
Chambertin Clos de Bèze 2017 150cl 503.00 (603.00, 561.00, 503.00, 475)
Chambertin Clos de Bèze 2017 300cl 1,056.00 (1,256.00, 1,172.00, —, —)
Chambertin Clos de Bèze Les Ouvrées Rodin 2017 75cl 698.00 (745.00, 659.00, 598.00, 598)

Bâtard-Montrachet 2017 75cl — (298.00, —)
Bienvenues Bâtard-Montrachet 2017 75cl — (269.00, —)
Corton Charlemagne 2017 75cl 189.00 (189.00, 169.00, 169.00, 159)

*There is 8% Tax to add in Switzerland, but then these are delivered prices

The first really significant price decreases that I have seen for 2017 – that said, the prices have only dropped to be in-line with 2015, though the quality is more that of 2014 – still, 2012-2015 were relatively stable prices chez Faiveley for this merchant. Only the Charlemagne seems to ‘justify’ the higher prices of yore…

Received from the domaine this morning:

“Following the early death of her cousin, Mr Henry-Frédéric Roch, who had been the Domaine’s co-director representing the Leroy Family since 1992 besides Aubert de Villaine, Mrs Perrine Fenal was appointed by her family and nominated by the Domaine shareholders’ meeting of January 23rd 2019 to take this position.
Perrine has always felt deeply attached to the Domaine on both a professional and personal level. When she was a child, she often accompanied her grand-father, Henri Leroy, and then her mother, Lalou Bize-Leroy.
Between 1992 and 2004 she was the Domaine’s exclusive importer and distributor in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. In 2004 she was appointed to replace her aunt, Mrs Pauline Roch, at the supervisory board. Mrs Isabelle Roch, Pauline Roch’s daughter and Henry-Frédéric Roch’s sister, will replace her in this position.”