Pinot Noir is one of the world’s most consumed wine varietals, beloved far and wide for its light-to-medium body and delicate red fruit flavors. The notoriously finicky grape is planted in vineyards worldwide, though it thrives best in Burgundy, where it has been cultivated for millennia. Pinot Noirs made in the region, also known as Bourgogne Rouge, routinely retail for eye-popping sums, and even the most entry-level expressions have experienced a 60-percent price hike over the past decade.
There’s pricy Pinot Noir and then there’s exorbitant Pinot Noir, and a new report from Wine-Searcher has revealed the most expensive examples in the world. As a baseline, the platform excluded any label with less than 10 SKUs and did not consider any wine for which the most recent vintage is over 10 years old. Unsurprisingly, every bottle on the list comes from Burgundy, where Grand Cru reds have exploded in price due to lower yields from unreliable harvests coinciding with increased demand. Collector-favorite Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC) accounts for two bottles on the list, though it’s Leroy that produces the majority of the world’s most expensive Pinot Noir. The wine label claims an impressive six of the 10 spots.
Keep reading to discover the most expensive Pinot Noirs in the world, according to Wine-Searcher.
10. DRC Les Petits Monts Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru
Nine grand is a lot of money to drop on one bottle of wine, but that figure is on the cheaper end of the scale when it comes to DRC. The grapes used to produce this expression are sourced from a .41-hectare plot of land that’s rich with iron-based soil ideal for growing Pinot Noir. Aged for 10 to 12 months in oak barrels, the wine is said to boast velvety cherry and red currant flavors with nutty and peppery undercurrents. Average Score: 95. Average Price: $9,264.
9. Leroy Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru
Leroy is the second-largest owner of vineyard space in Romanée-Saint-Vivant, a small appellation in Burgundy’s Côte de Nuits subregion. The winery purchased its plot in 1988 and immediately got to work producing some of the priciest Pinot Noirs on the planet. Produced in very limited quantities, the wine has been described by aficionados as silky with dense earth, licorice, and smoked cherry notes. Average Score: 98. Average Price: $9,797.
8. Leroy Richebourg Grand Cru
According to Wine-Searcher, Leroy Richebourg Grand Cru is the fifth most searched-for wine from the Richebourg AOC, one of just six Grand Cru appellations in the prized Vosne-Romanée village. Certified biodynamic by ECOCERT, the wine’s average sticker price has crept up in recent years, jumping from $8,688 in 2021 to well over $10,000 today. Average Score: 97. Average Price: $10,555.
7. Leroy Domaine d’Auvenay Les Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru
Domaine d’Auvenay is a Leroy subsidiary based in Saint-Romain, a 242-acre AOC in the Côte-d’Or. The winery owns just 10 acres of vineyards in the region, meaning only about 1,000 bottles of Les Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru can be produced annually. The wine’s scarcity is reflected in its price, which has increased by 57 percent in the past three years. Average Score: 97. Average Price: $11,773.
6. Leroy Domaine d’Auvenay Maiz-Chambertin Grand Cru
The cost of this Leroy expression has skyrocketed since 2021, jumping from $8,025 to a whopping $12,445. However, while the wine’s popularity has continued to increase, its sticker price has dipped slightly in the past 12 months. The grapes used are harvested using the baie-par-baie technique, which sees each berry de-stemmed individually by hand. Average Score: 98. Average Price: $12,445.
5. Leroy Chambertin Grand Cru
With less than 3,000 cases produced annually, it costs a pretty penny to get your hands on Leroy Chambertin Grand Cru. Producing the wine is a labor of love, as each cluster of grapes is hand-clipped to remove any less-than-perfect fruit before fermentation occurs in open wood vats. Bottled at 13 percent ABV, the esteemed Pinot has been described as highly structured with rich red fruit notes and expressive acidity. Average Score: 98. Average Price: $13,933.
4. Domaine Roumier Echezeaux Grand Cru
Just three years ago, Domaine Roumier Echezeaux Grand Cru didn’t even rank on Wine-Searcher’s most expensive Pinot Noirs list. Since then, the wine’s popularity has steadily increased, leading to significant price hikes. The wine ages for 15 to 18 months, with 35 to 45 percent of it resting in new oak barrels. Bottled at 13.5 percent ABV, it has been characterized as spicy and floral with poached stone fruit notes and vibrant acidity. Average Score: 93. Average Price: $14,714.
3. Domaine Georges & Christophe Roumier Musigny Grand Cru
Domaine George Roumier, currently managed by Christophe Roumier, has been producing wine since 1924. It quickly established itself as a beast in the Burgundy scene, and its Roumier Musigny Grand Cru offering is now particularly popular, opening with orange zest and floral aromas before plush red fruit takes over on the palate. While $17k is certainly a steep price to pay for a bottle of Pinot, the wine’s price has dropped slightly in the last 12 months. Average Score: 96. Average Price: $17,884.
2. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti Grand Cru
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti Grand Cru isn’t just one of the world’s most expensive Pinot Noirs; it’s one of the world’s most expensive wines in general. Ranked No. 2 on both rankings, DRC’s flagship wine is made from grapes harvested from a tiny plot of land of just 1.8 hectares (4.4 acres). Produced in extremely limited quantities given the vineyard’s low yield, the wine ages for 12 months in French oak before it’s bottled at approximately 13 percent ABV. Average Score: 98. Average Price: $24,628.
1. Leroy Musigny Grand Cru
Leroy Musigny Grand Cru is expensive enough to run a chill down anyone’s back, but it’s not nearly as expensive as it once was. In the past 12 months alone, the wine has declined 21 percent in value, its price falling from $48,000 to $38,267. Nevertheless, the wine remains one of the world’s most highly sought-after bottles, with enthusiasts eager to experience its earthy, leathery, and surprisingly tropical flavors. Average Score: 98. Average Price: $38,267.
