Marquis de Montesquiou, the celebrated Armagnac house, achieved groundbreaking results with their 1865 vintage at an April 25 Christie’s auction in New York. The vintage, which sold for an impressive price of 8,400 USD, was the top single-bottle within the lots offered and marks an auction record as the most expensive bottle of Armagnac sold by Christie’s North America.
“We are extremely satisfied with the superb results of the auction,” says Jean-Francois Collobert, International Director for Pernod International. “The final auction price, on par with that of great art masterpieces, truly confirms the superiority of the Montesquiou Armagnacs.”
Since 1865, this Armagnac has aged in the Montesquiou cellars, known in the region as the “Cathedral.” After maturing for 143 years, it was bottled on June 10, 2008. Each bottle of Montesquiou 1865 is individually numbered and presented in a collector’s box featuring a solid silver signature. The silver piece was created by acclaimed Parisian jeweler, Arthus-Bertrand, renowned for creating the Legion of Honor medal.
La Maison Montesquiou has been a pioneer in the long history of Armagnac since 1431. Its oldest family members, the Counts of Fezensac, served under Clovis, King of the Franks in the year 480. At the top of the list of its most esteemed members is Count d’Artagnan, musketeer under King Louis XIII and the hero of Alexandre Dumas’ famous novel “The Three Musketeers.” The history of the Montesquiou family and Armagnac is closely linked, and for centuries Montesquiou Armagnacs have represented one of the oldest brandies in the world.
All profits from the auction sale will go to GoodPlanet, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising public awareness of environmental protection. This partnership upholds Marquis de Montesquiou’s commitment to safeguarding natural resources, evident in their eco-design packaging and ecologically-sound distillation practices.
“Christie’s is honored to have been selected to offer this rare Armagnac at our recent sale on April 25. The excellent results are testament to the continuing devotion among collectors for this storied Armagnac, which traces its roots to the very origins of the spirit in 15th century France,” says Charles Curtis, MW, Head of North American Wine Sales at Christie’s. “We are pleased that funds generated by this exceptional sale will ultimately support GoodPlanet’s efforts to preserve the environment and promote sustainable development.”
La Maison de Montesquiou will launch a full line of prestigious Armagnac vintages in the U.S. later this year, spanning from 1893 to 1989.