First ex-cellar Haut-Brion sale for HK

Sotheby’s will host an ex-cellar sale of Domaine Clarence Dillon in Hong Kong this autumn.

With the spring season coming to a close, Sotheby’s has announced it will begin its autumn sales with an ex-cellar sale of the Bordeaux first growth and its sister properties on 4 October.

This is the first time that Domaine Clarence Dillon has held an ex-cellar sale in Hong Kong and it follows in the footsteps of the famous Lafite and Latour sales in 2010 and 2011 respectively.

Over 500 lots will be offered, spanning the years 1891 to 2012 from Haut-Brion, La Mission Haut-Brion and Saint Emilion property Quintus – experiencing its auction debut.

The collection is estimated to realise HK$10 – 14 million (US$1.3m to $1.8m).

Head of Sotheby’s international wine department, Serena Sutcliffe MW, said: “We are very honoured to bring this amazing sale to Asia.   Haut-Brion is the most magical of the Firsts, La Mission is majestic and the white wines from these two legendary properties are both rare and mythical. “

CEO of Domaine Clarence Dillon, Prince Robert of Luxembourg, added: “2014 will mark 80 years since Clarence Dillon, my Great-Grandfather, first visited Château Haut-Brion.

“This year my family celebrates 30 years of stewardship at Château La Mission Haut-Brion as well as the bottling of our first physical vintage of Château Quintus.  We have never in the history of our Company offered such a rare and deep collection at auction.  We look forward to opening up our cellars and to sharing some of our finest treasures through this unprecedented sale and celebration.”

Haut-Brion has seen a great deal of success at recent auctions, particularly for its 1989 white wine – vintages will span 1993 to 2012.

The red wines from the first growth will cover the full 1891 to 2012 span. Vintages of red from La Mission will cover 1916 to 2012 and 1945 to 2012 for the whites.

Château Quintus will be represented by the 2011 and 2012 vintages.