Lafite leads Sotheby’s sale

It was Lafite rather than Pétrus or Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, that topped Sotheby’s latest London sale.

Bidding for blue chip Bordeaux was strong across the board at the auction, which realised £725,915 in total and was 92% sold by lot.

The top lot was a case of 2000 Lafite which made £10,810. Even if this is a little below the best list price on Liv-ex of £11,850 it certainly feels as if it has been some time since the first growth topped a fine wine sale since the heady days of 2009 and 2010, although a case of 1982 Lafite led Sotheby’s sale in Hong Kong this January.

Six years ago Lafite seemed to dominate practically every sale but since the bubble burst it has been Pétrus or Burgundy’s DRC which have resolutely sat atop the results pile from New York to Hong Kong.

The estate’s premium versus its fellow firsts has fallen drastically since 2011 although there has been a flutter of interest in the wine again in recent months which chimes with the ’82 that led the Hong Kong sale in January of this year.

Cases of Pétrus’ 1992 and 1981 vintages were close behind, selling for £10,340 and £9,165 apiece and there was strong bidding for 2000 Latour, Cheval Blanc and Haut-Brion and 2004 Pétrus.

DRC was not left out of course. A single bottle of 1995 Romanée-Conti went for £7,285, another six bottles of 1999 Romanée St Vivant £5,640 and another six bottles of 2001 Richebourg for the same.

Stephen Mould, head of Sotheby’s Wine Europe, commented: “Throughout the sale, there was strong demand for both blue-chip Bordeaux and more mature vintages perfect for drinking now.

“Elsewhere, bidders pursued a rarely seen magnum of Krug 1953 and an array of Sassicaia spanning 1995 to 2002.  With the sale total tipping the high estimate, we now look forward to our next auction in London on 11 May, a single-owner collection featuring rare vintages from Henri Jayer, DRC and Pétrus.”