A six-bottle case of the 1945 Chateau Mouton Rothschild will cause a stir on January 13, when it leads bids in an Evening of Exceptional Wines in Hong Kong.
|
The victory vintage will be offered at $101,000-124,000, though may well exceed this considering one of the highest ever Bordeaux sales came from another case of 1945 Mouton Rothschild, which sold for $260,000 ($28,750 per bottle) in 2006.
The grapes for the wines would have been harvested during the Nazi occupation of France at the end of the second world war, during which the Bordeaux region continued to produce wine. However, it is not just for their history that the bottles are prized - wine expert Robert Parker gave the vintage a 100/100 in the February 1996 edition of the Wine Advocate.
In his tasting notes, Parker explains that the wine was only awarded the 100-point score as his point scale stops at that number. He goes on to describe it as "truly one of the immortal wines of the century."
Also from Chateau Mouton Rothschild is a jeroboam of the 1982 vintage, which was also given the 100/100 score by Parker. In perfect condition, and sporting the 1982 art label by US director John Huston, the jeroboam is estimated to bring $15,500-18,000.
With Bordeaux dominating the sale, a 12 bottle case of the 1929 Chateau d'Yquem is sure to excite investors and collectors alike, with a $62,000-73,500 estimate. A 92-bottle lot of the illustrious Sauternes wine, spanning 1900-2000 vintages, was the second highest lot of Christie's wine auctions in 2012.
See our wine market 2012 auction review for more of the top sales from last year. For more of the latest on wine investment and collecting, sign up to our free weekly newsletter.