Despite Wall Street's historic near-meltdown, Hart Davis Hart has just sold an American cellar for over US$11m.

The sum of US$11,160,583 taken on 19-20 September was the highest tallied for a 2008 wine auction and one of the highest ever recorded.

Declining to identify the consignor, Hart said, ‘The word Fox refers to a private family trust.’

The topmost prices paid included US$179,250 for a case of 1990 Romanée-Conti, DRC, high-estimated at US$150,000, and US$107,550 for a case of 1999 Romanée-Conti, DRC, with a US$90,000 upper estimate.

A 165-lot Lafite-Rothschild consignment of regular and large bottles brought US$1,819,627.

One 12-bottle lot, high-valued at $30,000, went to a Chinese bidder in the room for US$54,970.

Hart’s vice chairman, Michael Davis, said: ‘There have been a lot of surprises in my 25-year career as a wine auctioneer, but I never thought that I would see a case of 1982 Lafite-Rothschild hammer above case lots of 1982 Pétrus in the same auction.’

Written by Howard G Goldberg in New York

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Howard G Goldberg
Howard G Goldberg
Decanter Magazine, Food & Wine Writer

Howard G Goldberg is a wine writer and critic based in New York City. He made his name writing about wine for The New York Times, where he worked for 34 years. He has written various books on food and wine, including Prime: The Complete Prime Rib Book and All About Wine Cellars. He compiled The New York Times Book of Wine – a collection of the publication’s best wine articles.