Hart Davis Hart Witnesses Passionate Global Demand for Region’s Top Wines
(Chicago, IL) – Hart Davis Hart, America’s top wine auction house, continued its strong performance thus far in 2015 with a 98.4% sold March sale, posting $4.05 million in sales against a pre-auction estimate of $2.7-4.1 million. The sale was the world’s only commercial auction this year devoted exclusively to Burgundy, and featured one of the largest offerings of Burgundian wines ever sold.
With a catalog that read like an encyclopedia of the region’s finest wines, HDH’s A Celebration of Burgundy auction presented bidders with opportunities to purchase wines from 144 Burgundian domaines. Nearly half of all lots exceeded their high estimates, many of which achieved record prices.
As in the past, bidders showed incredible enthusiasm for the sale’s wide array of lots from the Domaine de la Romanée Conti. Spanning an incredible 39 vintages and encompassing all of the domaine’s pristine vineyard sites, the sale’s offering of DRC achieved a total of $1,041,921 (est. $722,350-1,077,600), claiming 7 of the sale’s top 10 lots.
HDH prides itself on representing some of the most knowledgeable and meticulous collectors in the world, and the consignors represented in this sale were no exception. One particularly impressive offering included a pristine selection of wines from Henri Jayer with original purchase receipts, which brought in $139,935 against pre-sale estimates of $91,300-135,300. Another cache of exceptional white Burgundy from the cellar of one of the world’s most revered collectors achieved similarly strong results, with the majority of lots meeting or exceeding pre-sale high estimates (lots 672-695). Both consignments appeared alongside offerings direct from the cellars of Fourrier and Hudelot-Noëllat.
Additional highlights of the sale included:
• 14 lots of Henri Jayer sold for $149,495 (est. $97,800-145,000)
• 46 lots of Armand Rousseau sold for $186,683 (est. $118,170-178,020)
• 45 lots of Coche-Dury sold for $145,408 (est. $87,520-131,470)
• 39 lots of Raveneau sold for $92,051 (est. $49,900-74,030)
• 45 lots of Christophe & Georges Roumier sold for $142,647 (est. $95,300-144,270)
• 39 lots of Dujac sold for $65,797 (est. $43,840-65,620)
• 55 lots of Fourrier & Jean-Marie Fourrier sold for $235,176 (est. $118,000-175,150)
• 24 lots of Emmanuel Rouget sold for $77,699 (est. $41,000-61,600)
• 34 lots of Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier sold for $97,058 (est. $60,780-92,000)
The saleroom at Chicago’s award-winning TRU restaurant bustled with determined collectors who competed vigorously with absentee bidders throughout the country and world. During the sale’s peak, extra tables had to be squeezed into the room to accommodate the number of guests. All participants had the opportunity to try out HDH’s new online bidding platform, which allowed those abroad to witness the auction through live video feed and to bid using smartphones or tablets in addition to computers.
“We had a near-constant stream of live bids rolling in throughout the entire sale, from attendees at HDH events held in Brazil and Hong Kong and from other collectors throughout the world,” observed President Ben Nelson. “Buyers from around the globe proved today that they are still willing to pay remarkable prices for Burgundy’s top wines.”
Hart Davis Hart’s next sale will take place the weekend of May 16th and will span the gamut of European and New World wines. Consignments are still being accepted through the end of this week.
Top Lots by Price (inclusive of 19.5% buyer’s premium):
Lot 541: 1999 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Assortment (12 bs) (est. $28,000-42,000) $38,240
Lot 607: 2005 La Romanée, Comte Liger-Belair (3 mags) (est. $24,000-35,000) $38,240
Lot 580: 1999 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Assortment (12 bs) (est. $28,000-42,000) $35,850
Lot 1175: 1999 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Assortment (12 bs) (est. $28,000-42,000) $33,460
Lot 586: 2007 Romanée-Conti, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (3 bs) (est. $24,000-35,000) $33,460
Lot 839: 2006 Romanée-Conti, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (3 bs) (est. $22,000-32,000) $33,460
Lot 999: 2007 Romanée-Conti, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (3 bs) (est. $24,000-35,000) $33,460
Lot 583: 2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Assortment (12 bs) (est. $26,000-38,000) $31,070
Lot 175: 1986 Vosne-Romanée, Cros Parantoux, Henri Jayer (4 bs) (est. $15,000-22,000) $28,680
Lot 739: 1983 Musigny, Georges Roumier (9 bs) (est. $18,000-28,000) $28,680
Top Lots to Exceed Estimates (inclusive of 19.5% buyer’s premium):
Lot 397: 2013 Gevrey-Chambertin, Vieilles Vignes, Domaine Fourrier (6 mags) (est. $700-1,000) $2,868
Lot 406: 2013 Chambolle-Musigny, Les Amoureuses, Jean-Marie Fourrier (1 jeroboam (3L)) (est. $1,300-1,900) $5,378
Lot 156: 2009 Meursault, Les Tillets, Domaine Roulot (6 bs) (est. $480-750) $2,032
Lot 554: 1991 Vosne-Romanée, Cros Parantoux, Emmanuel Rouget (6 bs) (est. $2,600-3,800) $10,158
Lot 402: 2013 Chambertin, Jean-Marie Fourrier (3 mags) (est. $2,800-4,200) $10,158
Lot 892: 2004 Chablis, Les Clos, Domaine Raveneau (3 bs) (est. $750-1,100) $2,629
Lot 393: 2013 Gevrey-Chambertin, Les Goulots, Vieilles Vignes, Domaine Fourrier (1 jeroboam (3L)) (est. $600-900) $1,912
Lot 515: 2002 Chablis, Valmur, Domaine Raveneau (3 bs) (est. $1,200-1,800) $3,585
Lot 383: 2012 Griotte-Chambertin, Vieilles Vignes, Domaine Fourrier (3 mags) (est. $5,000-7,500) $14,340
Lot 434: 2009 Meursault, Les Charmes, Domaine Roulot (1 jeroboam (3L)) (est. $2,000-3,000) $5,736
Sale Stats
Percent sold by lot: 98.4%
Total Aggregate: $4,058,112
Low Pre-Sale Estimate: $2,746,340
High Pre-Sale Estimate: $4,101,480
Auction Calendar
May 15 & 16, 2015
June 27, 2015
September 19, 2015
More information: hdhwine.com