At the week-end, Sotheby's concluded The Sale Of The Classic Cellar From A Great American Collector Part VIII with absolutely storming results - 86% of the lots sold above pre-sale estimate.
It was a 'white glove' sale, meaning that 100% of the lots were sold
Robert Sleigh, Head of Sotheby's Wine, Asia, commented after the sale:
"The eighth part of The Classic Cellar from a Great American Collector brought the total sold from this collection to HK$333m (US$43m), confirming it as the highest-value single-owner wine collection ever sold by Sotheby's.
"Large format was the major feature of today's auction and it shows the growing sophistication of the Asian market that 100% of the 457 oversized bottles (3-litre or larger) were sold."
Serena Sutcliffe, M.W., International Head of Sotheby's Wine, added:
"This was a milestone auction as it marked over 10,000 consecutive lots sold since Sotheby's began wine sales in Hong Kong, a reflection of the quality of the collections we offer for sale and Sotheby's far-reaching contacts throughout the wine drinking world.
"Today's sale was also the 16th white glove, 100% sold wine auction in a row for Sotheby's in Hong Kong, an all-time 'first'.
"This is a true feat and a remarkable accomplishment for two of our principal wine auctioneers, Jamie Ritchie and Robert Sleigh, who are now being fed both congratulations and Champagne!"
The top lot in the sale was a 12 bottle set of Château Pétrus 1990 listed at HK$320,000-460,000 but selling for HK$338,800 (US$43,436). It was followed by two sets of six magnums of Chateau Latour 1982 which sold for the equivalent of $40,333 - all to Asian private collectors.
