Bonhams sale of Fine & Rare wines, on 5th & 6th December, realized almost £1.2 million with over 88% sold by value.
Burgundy led the way, with the top lot in the sale: a case of a dozen bottles of Romanée-Conti from the fine 1988 vintage which made £94,000 (estimate £70,000-80,000). A Romanee-Conti assortment case of the 1996 vintage reached £19,388 (estimate £15,000-18,000), while a six bottle case of 1999 Echezeaux from the Domaine went for £3,877, over double its high estimate of £1,400-1,600. The power of the Domaine’s name was also seen in the prices achieved for a six bottle case of 2004 Romanee St Vivant – £3055 (estimate £18,000-2,200) and 2007 Richebourg – £4,465 (estimate £3,000-3,800).
Wines from the late Henri Jayer also sold well. Case lots of Echezeaux 1988 and 1994, from Henri & Georges Jayer, sold for £21,150 (estimate £18,000-25,000) and £18,800 (estimate£16,000-22,000). Rare single bottles of Henri Jayer’s 1970 Richebourg sold for £4,700 each (estimate £2,000-3,000); the same price was achieved for 6 bottles of Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche 1964 (estimate £300-350) and two bottles of Comte Georges de Vogue 1962 made £998 (estimate £400-500). All these rare bottles were found in a Belgian cellar.
Other Burgundy domaines to achieve high prices were a Leroy case of 1971 Grands Echézeaux which sold for £10,575 (estimate £7,500-8,500). Six magnums of Roumier Bonnes Mares 2005 made £9,987 (estimate £6,000-7,000) and six bottles of Jacques Prieur Musigny from the same vintage achieved £1,468 (estimate £950-1,100). Domaine Armand Rousseau was also much in demand with six bottles of 2008 Chambertin reaching £3,760 (estimate £2,000-2,500).
Pétrus provided the top lots from Bordeaux with case lots of 1990 and 1998 selling for £19,375 (estimate £25,000-30,000) and £22,913 (estimate £18,000-22,000). Among older wines, a single bottle of Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1945, from a Swiss collector, sold for £7,637 (estimate £6.500-7,500) and a single bottle of the legendary Château Cheval Blanc 1947, bottled by John Harvey & Son, made £2,115 (estimate £1500-2000).
A much appreciated feature of Bonhams wine sales is the wide variety on offer. Dessert wines from Massandra in Crimea, for example, sold well over estimate: a dozen bottles of 1936 Cabernet-Sauvignon White Port sold for £1292 (estimate £480-600) and 9 bottles of Alupka White Port made £1057 (estimate £350-420). A dozen bottles of Ridge Monte Bello 1998 achieved £1057 (estimate £750-850) and six bottles of the 2001 vintage made £998 (estimate £600-700).
An area currently generating strong interest is vintage Champagne with a single bottle of Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Francaises 1985 making £998 (estimate £400-500) and a magnum of Salon Blanc de Blancs 1988 reaching £822 (estimate £450-550).
