Single-Owner Auction Brings in $800,000 more than Pre-Sale Estimates of $5.1-7.6M
This past weekend, Hart Davis Hart Wine Co. held a single-owner auction featuring The Aubrey K. McClendon Collection. 100% of the 1057 lots were sold, bringing in $8.44 million against pre-sale estimates of $5.1-7.6M.
Nearly 1,000 bidders from 4 continents, 17 countries, and 42 states participated in the sale. 68% of the value of the sale went to US buyers and 32% went to international buyers. In total, $57 million worth of bids were submitted both through HDH’s groundbreaking online bidding platform and live in the sale room in Chicago.
The fierce bidding drove nearly 80% of the lots to sell above their high estimates. Fittingly, various formats of Mr. McClendon’s favorite wine, 1989 Château Haut-Brion, sold at prices that shattered world records. Lots 92 and 94 (each comprised of three double-magnums of 1989 Château Haut-Brion, estimated at $17,000-26,000 per lot) sold for $35,850, surpassing the previous record by $4,000. A jeroboam (5L) of the same wine also achieved world-record status, selling for $33,460 (est. $12,000-18,000).
The most expensive lot of the day was a case of three double-magnums of 1989 Château Pétrus (lot 798, est. $35,000-55,000) that garnered $65,725. Other highlights from the sale include a 12-bottle original wooden case of 1989 Le Pin, which sold for $41,825, and an imperial (6L) of 1982 Château La Mission Haut-Brion (lot 533, est. $9,000-14,000), which brought in $21,510.
“We are honored to have represented Mr. McClendon’s collection and I think he would have been proud to know that we had more than ten times the usual number of Oklahoma bidders on this record breaking day,” remarked President Ben Nelson.
Hart Davis Hart Wine Co. is based in Chicago and is the largest wine auction house in the United States. Their next sale, “A Celebration of Bordeaux,” will take place on November 5. Consignments for the auction will be accepted through the end of September.
For more information on Hart Davis Hart Wine Co. or to arrange a media visit, please contact Chelsea Ball at 312.667.1161, [email protected] or visit hdhwine.com
