Largest opening sale in HDH history

Hart Davis Hart’s opening sale of the year earlier this month was the biggest in the auctioneer’s history and the second biggest it has ever held.

Soaring to a total of just over US$10 million, the sale was also the sixth biggest fine wine sale held anywhere in the world in the last five years.

HDH reported that a “record number” of bids were received over the course of the three-day sale, from 15 countries, helping to push 65% of the featured lots above their pre-sale high estimates.

At the heart of the sale was the usual gamut of fine and rare Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and California wines.

Burgundy absolutely dominated the sale, with the top lot being 10 bottles of Armand Rousseau’s 1990 Chambertin which realised $45,410.

Various vintages and formats of Romanée-Conti, La Tâche and Richebourg from perennial favourite Domaine de la Romanée-Conti were also highly sought-after, as were an imperial of 2005 Petrus ($35,850) and cases of 1982 Lafite.

HDH’s next sale will be a mobile-only affair from 15-16 March before its annual ‘Celebration of Burgundy’ sale in April.