An imperial of 1982 Petrus has just fetched nearly £20,000 at Sotheby’s in the UK’s highest-grossing sale this year.
The imperial (equivalent to eight bottles) which sold for £19,550 was just one of a collection of lots of Bordeaux and Burgundy that went for far more than expected – in some cases double their high estimates – in the London sale this week (14 December).
While cases of Chateau Latour 1945 and Petrus 1990 fetched £14,950 and £14,375 respectively, a jeroboam (six bottles) of Richebourg 1962 from Domaine de la Romanee Conti went for £8,050, nearly double its high estimate, and four magnums of Chateau La Conseillante 1949 fetched £8,625 – far in excess of an estimated £2,600-£3,400.
Other lots included five bottles of Romanee-Conti 1991 and a case of Richebourg 1990, both from DRC (£8,625 and £9,430), a double magnum of Petrus 1982 (£8,280), and six magnums of Vosne Romanee, Cros Parantoux 1996 from Henri Jayer (£9,200).
Most lots went to US and Asian private buyers in a sale that grossed £1.2m in total – the biggest auction this year in the UK.
Serena Sutcliffe MW, head of Sotheby’s international wine department, confirmed that ‘trophy wine’ prices are booming but said top Burgundies could still be bought for good prices.
‘There were still remarkable bargains to be had,’ she said, ‘especially amongst the Burgundies from among the best growers, but the market is soaring for blue-chip Bordeaux and DRC. We look forward to bringing some very great collections to auction next year.’
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Written by Adam Lechmere
