John Kapon Acker Merrall Hong Kong
John Kapon Acker Merrall Hong Kong
(Image credit: John Kapon Acker Merrall Hong Kong)

Acker Merrall & Condit's first Hong Kong auction of 2011 fetched over US$10m – with some prices trouncing the higher-profile Lloyd Webber sale at Sotheby’s.

Acker CEO John Kapon hammers down a lot

Acker Merrall’s two-day sale with over 1200 lots from various cellars, on 21 and 22 January at the Island Shangri-La and the Grand Hyatt hotels, took HK$84.6m (US$10.8m).

Burgundy took centre stage at this Bordeaux- and Burgundy-dominated sale. The top-selling lot of eight bottles of 1985 Henri Jayer Richebourg went for US$100,103 while a 6-bottle case of 1978 DRC La Tache fetched US$65,692.

A Methuselah – equivalent to eight bottles – of 1985 La Tâche from DRC fetched US$50,051.

Acker Merrall CEO John Kapon said there were ‘numerous bidders back in America’ in addition to ‘strong participation by Hong Kong, mainland Chinese and Asian clients.’

Top Bordeaux lots included two cases of 1982 Chateau Lafite in original wooden cases and tissue which fetched US$75,076 apiece – $16,127 more than was achieved for similar lots from the Sotheby’s Andrew Lloyd Webber sale.

Three cases of 2000 Chateau Petrus each sold for US$62,564.

In 2010 Acker Merrall earned US$39m from six sales in Hong Kong. It plans to hold a least six in 2011 – the next one on 25 and 26 March.

Written by Maggie Rosen

Maggie Rosen
Maggie Rosen
Decanter Magazine, Wine Writer & Editor

Maggie Rosen is a wine journalist, editor and author, hailing from New York but based in London. Aside from Decanter, she has contributed to the Financial Times, The Drinks Business, Harpers Wine and Spirit Weekly, The Wall Street Journal, The World of Fine Wine and Meininger's Wine Business International. She is also a member of the Circle of Wine Writers.