A single bottle of 1934 Richebourg Vieux Cepages, or "Old Varietals", has sold at the top of Heritage Auctions' March 21-22 Fine & Rare Wine Signature Auction in Beverly Hills.
 The wine is so rare that Heritage states it is virtually impossible to find even with 'unlimited resources' - a truly investment-grade bottle |
The incredibly rare bottle was estimated at $16,000-22,000, but competitive bidding saw it pushed to $34,160. However, it fell short of the $50,000 Heritage Auctions had hoped it would make as a result of its rarity and provenance.
The bottle originates from the renowned collection of Dr Salvatore Lucia, who became known for The Wine Diet Cookbook, which advocated wine as a weight loss tool. His astonishing Burgundy wine collection was originally brought to auction following his death in 1984, each bottle of the finest quality with outstanding provenance.
Richebourg, a wine produced by the illustrious Domaine de la Romanee Conti, is one of the finest Burgundies, with the Vieux Cepages title referring to a special bottling from the oldest Richebourg vines, which was produced in single barrels between 1911 and 1937.
"If Domaine de la Romanee Conti is Ferrari, then this bottle, from this era, would be the 250GT, and this particular bottling, called Vieux Cepages, would be the 1958 steel-bodied 250GT Long Wheel Base, the very rarest of it's already storied breed," said Frank Martell, Heritage Auctions' director of fine wines.
However, it was DRC's most refined wine, the eponymous Romanee-Conti, that led the sale with a Methuselah of the 2002 vintage selling for $84,500.
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