Rare Bordeaux and Burgundy wines from the Avery family’s collection were among the stars as total sales in the recent London-based auction reached almost £2.57m, including buyer’s premium, said Christie’s.
It said the sale was 100% sold by lot. The June event was dubbed an offering of ‘last treasures’ from a private cellar amassed by different generations of the family behind historic Bristol wine merchant Averys.
Among the top-selling lots was a 12-bottle consignment of Pomerol’s Petrus 1990 in its original wooden case, which sold for £37,500 (high estimate: £30,000).
A single magnum (150cl) of Bordeaux first growth Château Latour 1961 sold for £25,000, including buyer’s premium, far outpacing its pre-sale high estimate of £6,000.
Latour 1961 has been named a Decanter Wine Legend and is considered one of the most prestigious French wines of the 20th century, despite Bordeaux yields suffering after a late spring frost hit vineyards during the growing season.
Decanter’s Stephen Brook wrote of Latour’s 1961 vintage, ‘The disastrous conditions in May meant that the crop was very small, and from the outset the Château reported that the wines were dark, rich, ripe and incredibly concentrated but perfectly balanced.’
Bordeaux’s lauded 1929 vintage featured in the sale, and a magnum of Château Margaux 1929 sold for sold for £9,375 (high estimate: £1,800).
Burgundy also featured strongly at the Christie’s auction.
Top lots included Burgundy wines from the 1940s. Two bottles of Clos de Tart, Grand Cru 1945 sold for £43,750, including buyer’s premium, against a pre-sale high estimate of just £3,000, Christie’s said.
One magnum (150cl) of Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé, Cuvée Vieilles Vignes, Musigny Grand Cru 1947 sold for £23,750 (high estimate: £8,000).
There has been a subdued atmosphere across the fine wine market for much of the past 18 months, but auction results have continued to suggest buyer interest, particularly for rarities.
Noah May, head of wine & spirits for Christie’s in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), said, ‘This was an incredibly comprehensive offering of legendary wines from around the world and included some of the most important and rare wines bottled from the 19th and 20th centuries.
‘When legendary wines like this with such impeccable provenance appear, we are hopeful for enthusiastic bidding and strong results, and in this instance, it happened.’
Bottles of decades-old Napa Valley Cabernet also went under the hammer. Two six-bottle lots of Heitz Cellar, Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1974 each sold for £22,500 (high e per lot: £10,000).
Six bottles of Joseph Phelps, Insignia 1975 fetched £5,250 (high e: £4,800), and three bottles of Inglenook, Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford 1955 sold for £4,000 (high e: £3,000).
This auction was a follow-up to a similar Christie’s sale of wines from the Avery family collection, held in 2016.