Auction PR Publicity Announcements News and Information
Auction PR Publicity Announcements News and Information

Bonhams To Hold Second Tri-City Wine Auction

Bonhams is pleased to announce the December 11, 2010 three-city wine auction. The sale follows on from the successful October auction that totaled more than $1-million. Session 1 of the sale will be held in Bonhams’ New York sale room and simulcast to San Francisco and Los Angeles, and session 2 will be held in Bonhams & Butterfields’ San Francisco sale room and simulcast to Los Angeles and New York– a unique auction format, well received by Bonhams clients.

Laura King Pfaff, Chairman, Bonhams & Butterfields, said: “The firm is pleased with the success of the inaugural three-city wine sale in October. We are excited to be the only major auction house to present wine to our clients in this format. The firm is looking forward to continued expansion into the international auction market and the three-city simulcast format will provide a fitting vehicle for that growth.”

The New York session features wines offered for sale by our lead Bonhams Hong Kong ‘Millennial Cellar’ consignor – one of the most respected and well established figures in the American fine wine scene. The Millennial Cellar offering was 100% sold during the November 23, 2010 auction of fine and rare wines at Bonhams Hong Kong.

Highlights from the ‘Millennial Cellar’ featured in the December sale will include 180 lots featuring a variety of sought-after Bordeaux, top Italian bottlings from Gaja as well as a Bryant Family vertical from California.

Also on offer from the ‘Millennial Cellar’ are 135 lots of drinking-now Bordeaux. Personally chosen, the wines have been impeccably stored and are all offered in wood. Attractively priced, the cases offer bidders the perfect opportunity for Holiday drinking purchases.

Following this, 60 lots will be presented from a young Manhattan collector who kept his wines in professional storage. Impressive first-growth Bordeaux is joined by an interesting and enticing collection of Italian, California, Spanish and Dessert wines – a diverse offering pulled from a much wider collection. Of particular interest are two verticals of Château Mouton-Rothschild (est. $17,000-22,000) and Chateau d’Yquem (est. $3,000-5,000), among others.

As in October, Bonhams will also offer a notable array of solid 12-bottle cases of blue chip Bordeaux, including: 1982 Château Mouton-Rothschild (est. $14,000-20,000); 1966 Château Petrus (est. $14,000-20,000); 1982 Château Latour (est. $15,000-20,000) and 1996 Château Lafite Rothschild (est. $14,000-18,000).

Following the New York offering is a more rounded and inclusive selection presented from the Bonhams & Butterfields rostrum in San Francisco, with fine selections of California, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Vintage Port and other world-renowned wines. Highlights include an extraordinary list of vertical lots and sequences including Bryant Family, Caymus, Colgin, Dominus Estate, Harlan, Château Margaux, Château Mouton-Rothschild, Opus One and Screaming Eagle, among others (estimates vary).

A key highlight of the West Coast session is a collection of 88 lots from the cellar of the critically acclaimed Martini House Restaurant in St. Helena, California. The Martini House’s goal was to help their patrons find the perfect wine to suit their palate. They did not limit their selection to particular areas or varietals; rather they created a balance of Old World and New World producers, appellations and styles. Estimates for the highly anticipated cellar range from $100-1,200.

Todd Humphries, Executive Chef and Co-Owner, Martini House, said: “It’s been a great nine-year run at Martini House. We’ve followed our muse and created and served incredible meals paired with the world’s best wine. We’re honored to turn this very special place over to a good friend and offer our world-renowned cellar at Bonhams & Butterfields, the leading auctioneer of wine on the West Coast.”

In addition, a selection of wines from the Collection of Sergio Traverso will also be featured during session 2 of the sale. Mr. Traverso was the winemaker at Sterling Vineyards during the late 1970’s, and consultant winemaker at Clos du Val, among others, both of which are represented within the offering. All wines have been acquired direct from the wineries or on release, and have subsequently been cellared under optimal conditions.

Sergio Traverso, distinguished winemaker, said: “The late 1970s were particularly good at Sterling. In fact the 1979 Merlot is one of the best wines I have made in my career. I opened a bottle earlier this year and the wine was bright and vibrant as a teenager before lunch. I remember having to blend in 10% Cabernet from a vineyard that Sterling had acquired that year, which was slightly overcropped, in order to soften up the Three Palms Merlot, so monumental was that Merlot that year. Three Palms is, in my opinion, one of the most respectable terroirs in the Napa Valley.”

Included in the Collection of Sergio Traverso are three bottles of 1979 Sterling Vineyard Merlot (est. $600-750), described above by the winemaker, among other highlights.

Auction, Session I: December 11, 1pm ET, Bonhams New York, simulcast to San Francisco and Los Angeles, 10am PT

Auction, Session II: December 11, immediately following Session I, Bonhams & Butterfields San Francisco, simulcast to New York and Los Angeles

www.bonhams.com/uswine

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *