Sotheby’s wine sale hits £1.6 million

Sotheby’s first London wine sale of the autumn season generated £1,674,810 ($2,729,940), hitting its pre-sale high estimate of £1.67 million.

Petrus 1945

The top lot was a two-magnum offering of Château Pétrus 1945 which brought £47,000, well above its top end £24,000 estimate, while a five-magnum lot of La Tâche 1971 went for £44,650, also exceeding its pre-sale estimate of £15,000.

Stephen Mould, European Head of Sotheby’s Wine Department, commented: “Yesterday’s auction concluded a two-day sale and a superb start to the season. Prices soared for mature Bordeaux and Burgundy with intense competition online and on the telephones. The first section – an impressive collection from a continental cellar – went over the high estimate for the 106 lots on offer. Elsewhere, there was strong bidding for a collection of rare Pétrus.

“Burgundy from top growers to Dominus from USA were all in demand, and the eclectic cellar from a noted wine professional, which formed yesterday’s sale, attracted wine lovers thirsty for wonderful wines they can savour from now. We look forward immediately to our New York sale this weekend, on 20th September, followed swiftly by a stunning sale in Hong Kong on 4th October, which features the Jayer and Domaine Romanée Conti collections. The next London sale will be on 22nd October.”

Other highlights included a magnum of Château Pétrus 1947 which went for £25,850 ($42,136), beating its £15,000 estimate, and a nine-bottle lot of  La Tâche 1971 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti which sold for £22,325 ($36,390).

La Tache 1971