NYC opener brings in US$2m

Sotheby’s opening sale of the year in New York exceeded its high estimate to make over US$2 million, led by strong bidding for mature Petrus and Vega Sicilia among other rare offerings.

The auction house reported that among the many strongly performing lots (98% of those offered exceeded their pre-sale high estimate), verticals of Petrus and Vega Sicilia’s ‘Unico’ did especially well.

The Petrus collection spanned 1964-1999 and was sold for $113,406 in total, while the seven lots of Vega Sicilia spanning 1942-1994 realised $17,528.

Other standout lots included nine bottles of 1982 Margaux; five bottles of Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair’s 2010 Echézeaux and spirits in the shape of a bottle of Black Bowmore Rare Single Malt 42 years old 1964 Scotch ($9,225).

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti dominated the sale’s top-selling lots however, a 12-bottle case of 1995 La Tâche realising $51,660, closely followed by a case of the 1998 which was sold for $46,740.

Connor Kriegel, head of Auction Sales for Sotheby’s Wine in New York commented: “We are thrilled with the excellent results from Saturday’s season-opening Wine sale in New York, which saw brisk demand from international collectors for the world’s great wines from some of the best cellars known to Sotheby’s.

“The strong results were driven by consistently high prices for impeccably-cellared, mature wines from the most celebrated producers in Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Napa, in the top vintages. We look forward to an exciting first half of 2018 worldwide, with auctions in London on 21 March, in Hong Kong on 30-31 March, and in New York on 21 April.”