Auction House Sotheby’s gets ready to sell 2 private wine collections in October for an estimated pr
Major house Sotheby’s has announced its fall auction line up in Hong Kong. Sotheby's which sold last year over $60M worth of wine, is selling 2 private cellars (private people who sell their wine) and other lots procured from industry. “We are offering two exceptional private collections featuring a range of the finest wines with impeccable provenance and have been kept in perfect condition. An extensive array of wines spanning 150 years and from the best producers around the world” says Adam Bibley, head of Sotheby’s Wine in Asia.
The first cellar (called The Classic Cellar II) appears to be of comprised of modern vintages from Bordeaux that were bought on release and handful of Burgundy wines. The oldest bottle in the collection’s highlights is a 1998 Petrus. A 6 bottle lot that starts at $11,000 – if that’s stays the price then it’s a pretty good deal since US (non auction) retail has the lowest price of $2,724. For a young cellar like this the provenance may not be a big issue, especially if the collector purchased the wines directly upon release from a reputable source.
The second cellar is more interesting since it has a 1865 (!?) Chateau Lafite. They’re asking $32,000 for this bottle and Adam Bilbey, called it “rare and mythical”. However, a wine that’s 150 years old should be approached with a healthy dose of skepticism. A big controversy started In 2007 when Christie’s London sold a wine bottle supposedly belonging to Thomas Jefferson (the third U.S. President who has been dead for over 200 years).
The two auctions are scheduled for October 1-2 and can be attended – for more information please look to Sotheby's Wine Hong Kong.
