Petrus ’82 sets Bordeaux Index record

An Asian collector has splashed out £45,000 on a bottle of Chateau Pétrus 1982 from fine wine merchant Bordeaux Index – a record for the company.

The six-litre Imperial bottle became the most expensive single bottle sold by Bordeaux Index in its 13-year history, emphasising the Far East’s growing thirst for the big names of the Médoc.

Company founder Gary Boom said fine wine sales to Asia were ‘rocketing’ and added: ‘It reflects the incredible current level of interest in fine wines in the region.’

Meanwhile, an extremely rare unbroken 12-bottle case of 1988 Romanée-Conti was sold for £42,550 at auction by Bonhams in London, beating its pre-sale high estimate of £40,000.

The ‘exceptionally unusual’ case, sold by a French collector, was the first of its kind encountered by Bonhams head of department Richard Harvey in his ten years with the company.

The Fine and Rare Wines sale in New Bond Street also saw six magnums of Chateau Latour 1964 sold for £4,600, while a single bottle of Romanée-Conti went for £3,680.

In total, 89% of the lots were sold, but a selection of bottles and magnums of 1989 La Tâche remained unsold after failing to reach pre-sale estimates.

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Written by Richard Woodard