Sotheby’s NY single-owner cellar auction reaches over 8.4m USD

Burgundy was the star of Sotheby’s most lucrative New York wine auction in 15 years, with receipts totalling over 8.4m USD – some 22% above the sale’s high estimate.

Lots from Domaine de la Romanée Conti (DRC) were among the sale’s highights

The sale of The Don Stott Cellar in New York at the weekend attracted collectors from Hong Kong, Brazil, Mexico, Canada and both US coasts, but American buyers dominated the saleroom, accounting for 83% of winning bids.

The 1,944-lot was 96% sold, and the total raised made it the second most lucrative single owner wine auction at Sotheby’s New York, and the fourth most lucrative for Sotheby’s globally.

Stott, a New York financier and philanthropist, spent 50 years collecting fine Burgundy, and lots from Domaine de la Romanée Conti (DRC), Henri Jayer, Domaine Georges Roumier and Domaine Armand Rousseau were among the sale’s highlights.

Burgundy accounted for 56% of the bottles in the sale, and brought 71% of the total raised, with the wines from Jayer, Roumier and Rousseau all 100% sold.

Highest price of the sale was $58,188, paid by an Asian private collector for a case of DRC Montrachet 1973.

Stott said he was ‘positively ecstatic’ about the experience and the result, while Duncan Sterling, Sotheby’s head of New York wine auctions, described the sale as ‘the largest undertaking by Sotheby’s Wine in the past 15 years’.

See also:

• Sotheby’s NY to auction 50 year, single-owner cellar
• Zachy’s praises New York demand as DRC and Krug lead sales

Written by Richard Woodard