Rare 1945 La Tâche bottle to headline Bonhams wine auction in Paris

Taking place on 7 November at Bonhams’ offices in the 8th arrondissement, the sale features an extensive array of Burgundy, this includes 30 lots consigned directly from the cellars of Domaine Hubert Lignier.

These cover an array of the producer’s grand and premier cru wines such as Clos de la Roche, Clos de Vougeot, Charmes-Chambertin and Morey-St-Denis 1er Cru Vieilles Vignes.

Many of the lots also include exclusive offers such as visits to the estate or annual allocations of particularly rare cuvées.

The second part of the sale features an extensive array of fine red and white Burgundy, classed growth Bordeaux, prestige cuvée Champagne, Super Tuscans and even a small selection of the very hard to find Gantenbein Pinot Noir from Switzerland.

The third element offers yet more from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Domaine Leroy.

These collections also include the auction’s centrepiece lot, a bottle of 1945 La Tâche from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (€15,000-€20,000).

Hailing from a famous but very small vintage (thanks to crop losses from spring frosts and summer storms), Bonhams also highlighted the importance of this vintage and vineyard in Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s modern history.

It was after the 1945 harvest that the last pre-phylloxera vines of the Romanée-Conti vineyard were uprooted and replaced with vine material sourced from La Tâche.

And with the Romanée-Conti monopole not producing wine from 1946-1951, La Tâche would become the domaine’s flagship cuvée in that interim.

The wine’s provenance was described as ‘exceptional’, having been in the collection of its current owner – ‘the owner of a grand cru estate in Bordeaux’ – since 1974.

Amayès Aouli, Bonhams Global Head of Wine & Spirits, said: ‘In a lifetime, the opportunity to see, touch and bring a bottle of La Tâche 1945 to market is as rare as the bottle itself.

'One cannot help but reflect on this extraordinary vintage, which brings the history of an estate into dialogue with the broader history of humanity.

‘Everyone at Bonhams is honoured to have been entrusted by this distinguished owner and looks forward to offering this bottle, in remarkable condition and with outstanding provenance, to collectors around the world.’

In addition to the in-person sale on 7 November, an online sale featuring a variety of wines with no reserve will be running between 29 October and 12 November.

Related articles