Sotheby’s announces three-day spring sale in Hong Kong

Sotheby’s is to hold a three-day wine and spirit sale series next month featuring rare wine, whisky and moutai, with a combined estimate of HK$65-95 million.

Staged from 16-18 April, the three-day wine sale will take place in the format of live auction at the Hong Kong Sotheby’s office. The sale will be opened with the Part II collection from Hong Kong tycoon Joseph Lau’s cellar.

The Part I collection from the last season achieved 100%-sold white-glove success. This time, the sale will present a second offering of the finest French wines from the famed entrepreneur and art collector.

The Part II sale showcases Lau’s predilection for large format bottles, with 58 on offer, including a range of vintages from Petrus. Taking centre stage is Henri Jayer – with over one hundred bottles of the fabled Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux.

The sale also features historic vintages of Chateau d’Yquem dating back to 1865, a slice of vinous history all on its own.

Adam Bilbey, Head of Sotheby’s Wine & Spirits, Asia and Europe, says: “The scale and depth of the very finest wines is what sets Mr Lau’s cellar apart from the rest, with an exhaustive inventory from the likes of Henri Jayer, Domaine de la Romaneé-Conti and Petrus.

The ability to source these wines on this scale and with great provenance is almost impossible today, and this is a testament to his vision and determination to focus on the very best. This spectacular sale continues our tradition of presenting our clients with the most important wine collections from around the world.”

Following the next day on 17 April, the Finest & Rarest Wine sale will bring about a total of 941 lots and estimated in excess of HK$33.5million. The sale features an array of offerings ranging from drinkable classics to rarities. Spearheading the sale is an exceptional selection of wines from a long-standing client of Sotheby’s. Highlights include all the First Growths in various vintages and formats, an assortment of Liger-Belair La Romanée vintages, and a vertical line-up of vintages from Ornellaia’s Archivio Storico.

50 lots of the legendary Henri Jayer from the 1970s to 1990s, including one bottle of the mythical Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux 1978, four magnums of Cros Parantoux 1986 and two bottles of Richebourg 1986 will also be presented on the sale. 84 lots of the sale are large formats from Bordeaux, Rhône, Tuscany and Napa wines in double magnum to the 18-litre melchior.

The inaugural live spirits sale in Hong Kong will feature the long-awaited complete Black Bowmore single malt whisky collection direct from the Bowmore distillery. Five archive bottles of Black Bowmore, spanning 1993 to 2016, presented in a truly unique bespoke piece of furniture created by award-winning craftsman John Galvin, will lead in the sale. The winning bidder will be invited to the Bowmore distillery for a tasting of Bowmore’s rarest and oldest single malts, with proceeds from the sale donated to an Islay charity, further details to be revealed in due course.