A 12-bottle case of La Tâche 1966 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Burgundy took the top slot at Sotheby’s in London, fetching £19,975 ($30,080) from a US trade buyer in a 28 January auction.
An 11-bottle lot of the same vineyard and vintage fetched £17,038, while 11 bottles of the 1966 vintage from neighbouring vineyard Grands Echezeaux DRC sold for £12,925, both to Asian bidders, according to an e-mail from the auction house.
The prices for the wine dating from almost half a century ago come after an increase in Burgundy’s share of auction sales last year, with Domaine de la Romanée-Conti driving demand as interest in Bordeaux vintages fluctuated. The London sale was followed by a Sotheby’s Hong Kong auction 30 January, which saw demand for Bordeaux first-growth Château Mouton Rothschild, according to a separate statement from the company.
"Cellars of great provenance attracted bidders from Europe, Asia, North and South America,” Stephen Mould, European head of Sotheby’s wine department, said by e-mail. “Bordeaux was in demand throughout the sale."
A 12-bottle case of Château Petrus 1986 Pomerol fetched £10,810, while 12 bottles of Château Haut Brion 1989 sold for £10,340, according to Sotheby’s. A five-litre jeroboam of Château Mouton Rothschild 2000 sold for £8,460.
Bloomberg News, edited by ESM
