Christie’s latest Hong Kong wine auction, held 26 and 27 November, has fetched HK$80,322,600 (£6,601,526) – capping off the auction house's Asia wine department's best year ever in the region.
The Finest & Rarest Wine Sale at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre sold 90% of the 600 lots at 96% of value.
This contributes to the 2010 total of HK$169m/£14m – which Charles Curtis MW, new head of wine sales for Asia, said was the Asia department’s best yet.
Christie’s resumed wine sales in Hong Kong in 2009 after a hiatus of several years.
The average lot value of HK$141,000 (£11,657) was also a new high.
In addition to numerous lots of first growth Bordeaux, many from 1982, and some top-tier Burgundy, the sale featured a superlot of Krug comprising 144 bottles from the 1980s and 1990s, including Clos du Mesnil, Clos d’Ambonnay and Grande Cuvée, direct from Krug.
Along with first class plane tickets to France and a tour and tasting at Krug, this was bought by a private client in China for HK$1.2m/£99,120.
Another of the sale’s headliners – 12 bottles of Château Palmer 1961, direct from Bordeaux – sold for HK$720,000/£59,472.
‘The sale demonstrated the continued strength of the great first growth Bordeaux and indicated a new interest in large-format bottles and in older vintages,’ said Curtis.
‘Burgundy values were also strong, particularly for Henri Jayer and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.’
A lot of the former – six bottles of Echézeaux 1978 – was bought for HK$744,000/£61,454, while 12 bottles of DRC La Tâche 1990 went for HK$936,000/£77,314. Both were well over their estimates.
Two 12 bottle-lots of Château Lafite-Rothschild 1982 sold for HK$780,000/£64,428 and HK$720,000/£58,896, respectively.
Christie’s next Hong Kong auction will take place on 4 and 5 March 2011.
Written by Maggie Rosen
