The Top 10 Bottles of French Grand Cru Wine
Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2025 3:30 am
The first Grand Cru d’Alsace was the Schlossberg de Kaysersberg, a sort of test balloon for the category which began in 1975. Since then, 50 other Grands Crus have been created. jacques de lait take a closer look at the top 10 bottles of Grand Cru wine.
When it comes to French wines, the term Grand Cru has a magical connotation. But how much the name of a particular Grand Cru vineyard and the wines that bear its name really depend on the region. Both in terms of notoriety and for your wallet, it makes a huge difference whether a Grand Cru white wine is from Burgundy or Alsace.
Let me give some concrete examples. The most expensive dry white wine in the world is Montrachet Grand Cru from Domaine Leflaive in Burgundy, which Wine finder price at US $ 12,750 for the 2015 vintage (the latest available) and US $ 19,590 for the 2014. On the other hand, even the most expensive Alsatian grands crus are those from the Rangen Grand Cru site in the town of Thann, produced by Zind Humbrecht Estate, and they’re just under $ 100 for the 2019 vintage. That’s more than a hundred times the price difference.
The question is whether this price difference is reflected in the phone number library quality of the wine. For us, the answer is… not necessarily. Certainly, the best dry white Grand Cru de Bourgogne are amazing wines, and for sommeliers and collectors around Planet Wine, they remain the benchmark of the Chardonnay grape variety. The Montrachet Grand Cru is an example of how the huge worldwide demand for very limited production combined with high quality is driving stratospheric prices for some Burgundian grands crus.
A Grand Cru vineyard in Thann, Alsace, France
For Alsace, demand is hardly ever so strong, but what about quality? Recently, we tasted the 2018 and 2019 vintages of Zind Humbrecht Rangen Grand Cru wines and rated them just as well as the best Grand Cru whites in Burgundy. This creates a golden opportunity for savvy consumers, and our Top 10 is designed to help you make the most of it.
When it comes to French wines, the term Grand Cru has a magical connotation. But how much the name of a particular Grand Cru vineyard and the wines that bear its name really depend on the region. Both in terms of notoriety and for your wallet, it makes a huge difference whether a Grand Cru white wine is from Burgundy or Alsace.
Let me give some concrete examples. The most expensive dry white wine in the world is Montrachet Grand Cru from Domaine Leflaive in Burgundy, which Wine finder price at US $ 12,750 for the 2015 vintage (the latest available) and US $ 19,590 for the 2014. On the other hand, even the most expensive Alsatian grands crus are those from the Rangen Grand Cru site in the town of Thann, produced by Zind Humbrecht Estate, and they’re just under $ 100 for the 2019 vintage. That’s more than a hundred times the price difference.
The question is whether this price difference is reflected in the phone number library quality of the wine. For us, the answer is… not necessarily. Certainly, the best dry white Grand Cru de Bourgogne are amazing wines, and for sommeliers and collectors around Planet Wine, they remain the benchmark of the Chardonnay grape variety. The Montrachet Grand Cru is an example of how the huge worldwide demand for very limited production combined with high quality is driving stratospheric prices for some Burgundian grands crus.
A Grand Cru vineyard in Thann, Alsace, France
For Alsace, demand is hardly ever so strong, but what about quality? Recently, we tasted the 2018 and 2019 vintages of Zind Humbrecht Rangen Grand Cru wines and rated them just as well as the best Grand Cru whites in Burgundy. This creates a golden opportunity for savvy consumers, and our Top 10 is designed to help you make the most of it.