‘Pristine’ wines of American dynasty go on sale

Sotheby’s is offering “unrivalled possibilities” to purchase “pristine” parcels of some of Bordeaux and Burgundy’s top domaines at its next London fine wine sale.

Taking place on 15 November, the sale will feature collections of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Armand Rousseau and Méo-Camuzet as well as rare claret in the form of 1949 Château Lafite, 1961 Château Palmer and other classed growths spanning several decades.

Burgundy lovers should watch out in particular for a case of assorted 1998 DRC; six bottles of one of the domaine’s rare premier cru bottlings, the 1999 Vosne-Romanée Duvault-Blochet, Armand Rousseau’s 2006 Clos de la Roche and 2010 Chambertin Clos de Bèze and Méo-Camuzet’s 2010 Vosne Romanée Cros Parantoux.

At the heart of the sale are many wines that have been consigned from the collection of Antal Post de Bekessy (who died in 2015), the scion of a great Hungarian-American family with an extensive collection of fine wines spanning not just Burgundy and Bordeaux but the greatest names of the Rhône, Champagne and Alsace as well.

De Bekessy was the son of the Austro-Hungarian author, Janos de Bekessy and Eleanor Post Close. His maternal grandmother was Marjorie Merriweather Post, a famous socialite and heiress (as well as philanthropist and collector). His godmother was Eleanor Roosevelt. He and his mother eventually settled in Europe, Eleanor after her sixth marriage to the Belgian-American conductor Leon Barzin. They both died in Paris, she in 2006 aged 96 and he in 2015 aged 71.

Highlights here include: one bottle of 1949 Lafite (£800-£900); one bottle of 1955 Mouton Rothschild (£700-£900) and 12 bottles of 1961 Palmer (£15,000-£20,000).

Also being offered are various cases of bottles and magnums covering 1982 Petrus and Latour, 1989 La Mission Haut-Brion and Petrus, 1998 Le Pin, 2000 Léoville Las Cases and Mouton Rothschild, and 2005 Margaux, Angélus and Petrus.

The sale will also feature a bottle of 1938, 60-year-old Mortlach (£15,000-£20,000).