American auction house Zachys took a 2003 record US$4.5m last weekend.

Large numbers of bidders attended the sale despite a two-day snowstorm burying Manhattan.

Zachys president Jeff Zacharia said the sale broke several world records. A case of 1982 Léoville-Las-Cases went for US$5,265 and a case of 1990 Cheval Blanc fetched US$9,360.

The highlight of the sale was a 33-bottle superlot of 1982 Bordeaux imperials (one imperial is equal to eight standard bottles). The collection, which included first growths and the likes of Ausone, Pétrus and La Mission Haut-Brion, eventually fetched $245,700, more than three times its low estimate.

The other big moneymakers included a case of 1982 Le Pin, which went for US$49,140, and a case of 1995 Montrachet from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, which fetched US$30,420.

In all, Zachys, a retailer in suburban Scarsdale, NY, sold 95% of the 1,911 lots offered.

Written by Howard G Goldberg in New York

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.