Burgundy steals the show

The latest Sotheby’s auction had a line-up of the biggest names in Bordeaux but it was the wines of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and other Burgundies that seemed to capture the interest of buyers.

Although the auction in London featured cases of wines from some of the greatest years and estates Bordeaux has had to offer over the past 30 years, including first growths from 1982, 1990, 2000 and 2005, 1947 Cheval Blanc and 1982, 1990 and 1978 Pétrus, it was the lots of DRC from the property’s various sites that attracted the greater prices.

Interest for the Bordeaux was still considerable and most of the lots lay either comfortably close to their high-end estimate or just over. A case of 1961 Latour, for example, went for nearly £1,000 over its £10,000 estimate and a single bottle of 1947 Cheval Blanc sold for a comfortable £1,725.

However, wines that one would expect to shine at auction, such as Pétrus 1982, struggled somewhat. The half case of Pétrus 1982 went for £20,700, still a handsome price but nearly £4,000 below its high estimate.

Meanwhile, the oddly assorted lots of DRC ranging from anywhere between two and 11 bottles a lot and spanning the years 1988 to 2006, regularly topped their high estimates. Sales among the other Burgundies on offer were just as successful.

One bottle of 2005 Romanée-Conti, valued at £6,500-£8,000, was sold for £10,350, a bottle of 1957 La Romanée from Domaine Leroy was £500 over its estimate when it went for £713 and the highest selling lot was a case of 1988 DRC Romanée-Conti with a top estimate of £55,000 that topped £63,000 when the hammer came down.

Elsewhere, Lafite performed well and the collection of Super Tuscans from the cellar of Lodovico Antinori fared well, usually surpassing their top estimates.

The auction raised a total of £1,346,478 and the next Sotheby’s auction will be held on 4 March in New York.

Rupert Millar, 24.02.2011