The wine collection of famed Apocalypse Now movie director Francis Ford Coppola was among the highlights at Christie's New York wine sale on September 24. In total, the sale grossed $1,888,800.

"Prices remained robust across the board  in this first Wine sale of the autumn auction season, with first-growth Bordeaux and large-format DRC taking the top prices of the day," said Charles Antin, Wine Specialist for Christie's Americas.

"Our clients enjoyed the added celebrity appeal of a special group of wines in this sale - a finely-curated selection of "Golden Era" vintages from the private collection of Inglenook owner and acclaimed director Francis Ford Coppola."

Inglenook is an important cornerstone of the Napa Valley. 

Ever since its inception in 1879, Inglenook founder Gustave Niebaum promised to make wines that would "be sought for by connoisseurs and will command as high a price as the famous French, German and Spanish wines." 

The top-three wines in Christie's auction, held in New York

His dream was made a reality by the legendary winemaker John Daniel Jr., who produced the estate's highly acclaimed vintage wines from 1933 to 1964.

Since purchasing the property in 1975, Coppola has tirelessly reconstructed and restored the estate to its former glory. All of the Inglenook wines on offer sold-out on Saturday, with most lots selling at or above their high estimate.  

"We were particularly pleased to see strong bidding for a custom-made vertical of Inglenook and Rubicon the proceeds of which are being donated to Shigeru Ban Architects + Voluntary Architects Network, a charity that helps to build temporary housing for tsunami victims in Japan," said Mr Antin.

Christie's next New York wine sale takes place on October 29, and will feature a case of rare 1961 Pétrus in its original wooden case, offered at $50,000-70,000.