What are the most expensive champagne bottles?
Popping open a bottle of champagne has basically become synonymous with celebration, especially on New Year’s Day at midnight.
However, some of these Champagne bottles are so expensive that you might not want to crack them open at all!
While they may be exquisite, they also cost more than some cars, making them only available to the wealthiest among us.
The Most Expensive Champagne Bottles
Whether you’re planning a swanky get-together or just have a morbid curiosity about what wealthy people spend their money on, you’ve come to the right place.
Here’s our list of the 10 most expensive champagne bottles:
10. Shipwrecked Champagne – $14,181.81 Average Per Bottle
Taking our number 10 spot is a champagne bottle that you’re definitely not going to find on shelves at your local grocery store.
This collection of expensive bottles was discovered at the bottom of the Baltic Sea in 2010 after having spent the better part of 200 years submerged under the cold, dark waves.
Miraculously, these bottles of shipwrecked champagne were in great condition, and some of the most prestigious brands, such as Heidsieck, Juglar, and Veuve Clicquot were found among the wreckage.
In 2012, 11 of these bottles ended up in an auction house and the entire case ended up selling for $156,000 — or $14,181.81 per bottle.
As for the highest-quality bottles found in the wreck, we’ll touch on those later in this list where their prices rival those of some of the most expensive wines in the world.
Although 168 bottles were recovered altogether, some of them, due to their ages and brands, ended up being worth a small fortune.
9. Louis Roederer, Cristal Brut 1990 Millennium Cuvee Methuselah – $18,800
This champagne gains its high price not just for its exquisite taste, but because it comes in a huge bottle.
Containing 6-liters — the equivalent of 8 standard bottles — the champagne brand released only 2,000 of these coveted bottles.
While it was only produced as a limited edition giant bottle, it can be rarely found today for an exuberant price that definitely makes you never want to open it.
If you’re a champagne connoisseur or just someone who likes owning rare and expensive curiosities, you’ll want to keep an eye out for one of these bottles.
That being said, if it is huge bottles of champagne that you’re after, you’re going to want to keep reading.
Further down we have some even larger bottles that make this 6-liter giant look absolutely tiny!
8. 1928 Krug – $21,200
Put up for auction in 2009, this expensive bottle of champagne sold for $21,200 and set the record for its time.
While it may no longer be the most expensive champagne sold anymore, that doesn’t diminish its impact, and those fortunate enough to have tasted this champagne say that it is well worth the price.
What makes this expensive champagne bottle so special is that only a very limited number of them still exist, and the last time it was officially sold was in 1939, around the end of World War II.
Because of this, those able to obtain the bottle, let alone taste it, are a scarce minority that certainly isn’t lacking in money.
You’re definitely going to need connections and a bank account to rival the richest people in America to have any hope of grabbing a vintage bottle of Krug for yourself.
Of course, the likelihood of more bottles surfacing and being put up for auction is slim, so if you didn’t get the opportunity in 2009, you may have missed your only chance.
7. 1841 Veuve Clicquot – $34,000
You know how we mentioned that Veuve Clicquot was one of the champagne brands found in that old shipwreck? Well, here it is!
This 1841 bottle of Veuve Clicquot was discovered submerged in the Baltic Sea where it sat undisturbed for nearly 200 years.
Thankfully, the cold and darkness of the sea bottom proved to be perfect for storing these vintage champagne bottles, which has led to them retaining their quality.
Seriously, all of them have been tested by wine experts and given a stamp of approval!
In fact, the Maison of Veuve Clicquot has even started experimenting with a deep-sea storage container, known as the Aland Vault.
This “cellar in the sea” is part of an experiment kicked off by the discovery of the shipwreck and the brand hopes that it will become a new, innovative way of deep-sea aging wines and champagne.
Like the case of 11 bottles, almost all of the recovered bottles of 1841 Veuve Clicquot have been auctioned off, with the highest price being $34,000.
Would you drink a glass of champagne from 1841? We probably would, so long as someone else is footing the bill!
6. 1959 Dom Perignon Rosé – $42,350
While a bottle of champagne from 1959 may not seem as impressive as one found in a shipwreck, the 1959 Dom Perignon champagne Rosé is surprisingly one of the hardest to find.
The reason for this is because the first year that the Dom Perignon champagne brand created Rosé, it ended up never being released to the public.
According to some sources, the reason for this is because most of the Rosé ended up going to the Shah of Iran in order to be served to guests at the opening celebration to mark the 2,500th anniversary of the Persian Empire.
For decades, this champagne remained impossible to find until, eventually, in 2008, two bottles surfaced.
Naturally, it didn’t take long for these rare expensive champagnes to be auctioned off, and they were bought by Robert A. Rosania, a real estate executive, for the steep price of $42,350 per bottle.
Now, if you’re itching to sell the most valuable toys from your childhood in order to save enough money to buy a bottle for yourself, you’re unfortunately out of luck.
So far, no other bottles of this champagne have surfaced and it may be likely that they never will again!
5. 1820 Juglar Cuvee – $43,500
Another high-end champagne brand that was discovered in the above-mentioned shipwreck, only one bottle of 1820 Juglar Cuvee, was able to be recovered, making it particularly special and incredibly desirable for the wealthiest buyers.
When it was auctioned off, it sold for $43,500, making it the most expensive champagne to come out of the shipwreck.
Seeing as this bottle was literally the only one of its kind in existence, we can understand the high price. After all, it’s basically a historical artifact by this point!
Unfortunately, the lucky buyer has never gone public to tell us the specific tasting notes or comment on whether they’ve opened the bottle at all.
We suppose this one-of-a-kind shipwrecked champagne will remain a mystery to us, at least for the foreseeable future.
4. 1996 Dom Perignon Rose Gold Methuselah – $49,000
Dom Perignon is a champagne house that is well-known among the wealthy for being one of the highest-quality producers of expensive champagne.
However, some of their creations are rarer and more valuable than others, but none more so than their 1996 Rose Gold Methuselah champagne.
Created with 30% Chardonnay grapes and 70% Pinot Noir, only 35 bottles of Rose Gold Methuselah were ever produced, and each was plated with real gold.
Due to their rarity and unique bottling, these expensive bottles sell for, at least, $49,000 and they are always quick to sell, then they go up for auction, with wealthy buyers clamoring for the honor of nabbing this bottle for themselves.
Those fortunate enough to have tasted this expensive champagne have reported that it tastes like berries and cream with undertones of apricots and strawberries with an added hint of smokiness.
We don’t know about you, but that sounds damn delicious! No wonder it is so expensive!
If you’re someone with a taste for the most expensive alcoholic drinks in the world, this is one of the most expensive champagne bottles that you’ll definitely want to keep an eye out for.
3. 2011 Armand de Brignac 15-Liter – $90,000
If you thought 6-liters was huge for a champagne bottle, you’re going to lose your mind over this 15-liter behemoth!
Released by the brand owned by Jay-Z, the richest rapper of all time, this titan of a bottle both looks and tastes like a luxury that only the richest people in the world can sample.
Often called the Ace of Spades, each bottle of this incredible champagne takes 6 months to create, essentially making it a work of art in its own right.
Created by the Cattier family, an incredibly well-known champagne house, this bubbly is loaded with flavor which has been reported as a mix between pear, nectarine, sweet butter, and honeysuckle.
If all of that doesn’t scream luxury, we don’t know what does.
Although 16 liters may seem like overkill, consider the ragers that Jay-Z is known to throw and just how long a bottle like this would last when sipped by hundreds of guests.
Good thing Jay-Z’s net worth allows him to afford as many bottles as he wants, though seeing as he owns the brand, he probably gets them at a steep discount.
2. 2013 Armand de Brignac Rosé 30-Liter Midas – $275,000
Okay, so you know how we said 16 liters was huge? Well, Jay-Z’s brand took things a step further with this mind-boggling 30-liter monster.
Yeah, that isn’t a typo and the 2013 Armand de Brignac has earned the distinction of being the most expensive rosé champagne ever made.
It also contains the same amount as 40 standard bottles of champagne.
Standing over 4 feet tall and weighing over 100 pounds, this insane bottle is larger and heavier than many children, and it will cost more than even the most expensive foods in the world.
Only a very limited amount of this champagne was ever produced, and each bottle needed to be handcrafted by 8 artisans.
The very first bottle debuted at the Hakkasan Las Vegas, located in the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, where it was uncorked and served to lucky guests.
Although it is unlikely that this champagne will ever be re-produced, we have no doubt that Jay-Z will come up with something potentially even more extravagant — and expensive — in the future, so you may want to keep a close eye on this brand.
1. 2013 Taste of Diamonds – $2.07 Million
Created with a blend of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Grand Cru Chardonnay grapes, this 2013 bottle has the honor of being the most expensive champagne in the world.
The reason for its unbelievable price tag is due to the fact that it was created for a private client by the luxury designer, Alexander Amosu.
This black bottle comes with an 18-karat white gold tag that weighs 48 grams.
In the center of this tag is a single flawless 19-carat white diamond which definitely added to this bottle’s exuberant price.
While there were only 10 bottles of the Taste of Diamonds created, the appeal of this champagne doesn’t just lie with its overly luxurious bottle.
In fact, it won “Best Champagne Taste 2012” by Champagne Business News, meaning it tasted as great as you would hope a bottle at this price point would.
While the Taste of Diamonds is unlikely to ever be made again, you can always hold up hope that at least a single bottle will go up for auction in the future.
However, unless you have a couple of million dollars to spend, you’re probably going to be out of luck.
Summary
We hope that you have enjoyed our list of the most expensive champagne bottles and maybe learned something about the spending habits of the wealthy!
While we all enjoy a drink for special occasions, the price of these bottles makes us happy to stick with the bottles we find at our local grocery stores.
Here’s a quick recap of the 10 most expensive champagne bottles:
- 2013 Taste of Diamonds – $2.07 Million
- 2013 Armand de Brignac Rosé 30-Liter Midas – $275,000
- 2011 Armand de Brignac 15-Liter – $90,000
- 1996 Dom Perignon Rose Gold Methuselah – $49,000
- 1820 Juglar Cuvee – $43,500
- 1959 Dom Perignon Rosé – $42,350
- 1841 Veuve Clicquot – $34,000
- 1928 Krug – $21,200
- Louis Roederer, Cristal Brut 1990 Millennium Cuvee Methuselah – $18,800
- Shipwrecked Champagne – $14,181.81 Average Per Bottle
