Mystery owner auctions nearly 17,000 bottles of wine for US$29.8 million in Hong Kong
- The sale featured more than 275 lots of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti spanning more than five decades
- The collector is described as a fifth-generation property developer
A wine collection of almost 17,000 bottles from a single cellar -- including grand cru Burgundies and first-growth Bordeaux -- has sold for US$29.8 million at auction, Sotheby’s said.
A three-day sale that kicked off on Friday in Hong Kong featured more than 275 lots of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti spanning more than five decades. Top Bordeaux included La Mission Haut-Brion 1945 and Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1961. The top lot was 12 bottles of the Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Romanee-Conti 1990 that sold for US$348,000 (HK$2.78 million).
Other desired bottles were a Chateau Mouton Rothschild from 1945, said Jamie Ritchie, worldwide head of wine at Sotheby’s.
Although Sotheby’s has not disclosed the seller’s identity, there are hints in the catalogue. The collector is described as a fifth-generation property developer, and the preponderance of Burgundies suggests a younger collector as older ones have favoured Bordeaux, said Sarah Heller, a master of wine at Heller Beverage Consultancy.
“You just don’t see collections like these come along very often,” Heller said. “People will look at it as a barometer of interest, and the rarefied world of top Burgundy collectors will be watching with bated breath.”