LONDON.- Christie’s Finest and Rarest Wines & Spirits auction (2 and 3 December) in London realised a total of £7,629,753 / $ 10,139,942 / €8,949,700, the highest ever for the category at Christie’s. The auction achieved sell-through rates of 95% by lot and 98% by value and witnessed global participation from 27 countries, across 4 continents, with spirited bidding in the room, on the telephone and online over the course of the two day sale.

The auction was highlighted by the evening session - Treasures from a Rediscovered Chalk Cellar. This remarkable collection, which comes with superb provenance, was mostly purchased by the owner between 1969-1988 and had remained untouched for nearly two decades in a chalk cellar in the Surrey Downs. The top lot of the auction, and highlighting this collection was Lot 544, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti 1971 (11 bottles per lot), which realised £269,500 / $358,166 / €316,124. Lot 547, Lot 549 and Lot 550, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti 1990 (6 bottles per lot) sold for £208,250 / $276,764 / €244,277 an auction record for this fabled vintage.

Noah May, Head of Christie’s Wine & Spirits Department: “Christie's Wine & Spirits Department are delighted to complete the 2021 season in London with a superb set of auction results. The sale achieved £7,629,753 / $ 10,139,942 / €8,949,700, the highest ever total for a Christie's Wine auction globally, with sell-through rates of 95% by lot and 98% by value. The "Treasures from a Rediscovered Chalk Cellar" evening sale was 100% sold, and realised a total of £3,556,396 / $4,726,450 / €4,171,653, more than double the pre-sale low estimate. Multiple world records were broken, including those for Domaine de La Romanée-Conti, La Tâche 1962 and 1971, and for Quinta do Noval 1931. A collection of rarities from Champagne Perrier Jouët was 100% sold, with the highlight, an extremely rare bottle of Perrier Jouët 1874, achieving a record price of £42,875. Spirits performed very well too, including a magnificent bottle of Springbank 1919 50 Year Old selling for £183,750. The sale was a testament to the strength and sophistication of the market for fine wines and spirits, and the fantastic team work at Christie's.”

An exceptional collection of vintage cuvées from Maison Perrier-Jouët were presented for sale, including bespoke experiences at the home of the illustrious Champagne House in Epernay. The offering was led by Lot 288, the Perrier-Jouët Brut Millésimé 1874 (1 bottle per lot), which realised £42,875 / $56,981 / €50,292, an auction record for a bottle of champagne sold at Christie’s. This sale marks a renewal of ties between Christie’s and Maison Perrier-Jouët dating back to 1888, when Christie’s sold a bottle of this legendary vintage, setting a new benchmark at the time for the most expensive champagne ever sold at auction.

From the spirits offering, Lot 945, a bottle of the historic Springbank 1919 50 Year Old from the collection of Le Clos (Dubai International Airport) realised £183,750 / $244,204 / €215,539, while Lot 952, three exceptional casks of Single Malt from the Ardross Distillery, Northern Highlands achieved £245,000 / $325,605 / €287,385.

Further records were established throughout the sale for:

Lot 551, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, La Tâche 1962 (1 magnum per lot) - £73,500 / $97,683 / €86,216

Lot 552 and Lot 553, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, La Tâche 1971 (12 bottles per lot) - £183,750 / $244,204 / €215,539

Lot 546, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti 1985 (6 bottles per lot) - £140,875 / $187,223 / €165,246

Lot 559, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, La Tâche 1985 (10 bottles per lot) - £79,625 / $105,822 / €93,400




Lot 569, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Grands-Echézeaux 1985 (12 bottles per lot) - £61,250 / $81,401 / €71,846

Lot 570, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Grands-Echézeaux 1990 (6 bottles per lot) - £46,550 / $61,865 / €54,603

Lot 575, Comte Georges de Vogüé, Bonnes Mares 1985 (12 bottles per lot) - £11,638 / $15,467 / €13,651

Lot 584, Comtes Lafon, Meursault Charmes 1989 (12 bottles per lot) - £9,188 / $12,211 / €10,778

Lot 625, Château Rayas, Châteauneuf-du-Pape 1967 (2 bottles per lot) - £8,575 / $11,396 / €10,058

Lot 632, Sassicaia 1968 (3 bottles per lot) - £5,513 / $7,327 / €6,467

Lot 636, Dow 1927 (2 bottles per lot) - £2,695 / $3,582 / €3,161

Lot 644, Croft 1960 (12 bottles per lot) - £1,348 / $1,791 / €1,581

Lot 637, Quinta do Noval,1931 (9 bottles per lot) - £98,000 / $73,740 / €83,546

Lot 689, Penfolds, Grange Hermitage 1952 (1 bottle per lot) - £17,150 / $22,792 / €20,117

Lots 1 to 79 of the auction were offered on behalf of Decanter Magazine and are drawn from the sample bottles submitted to their 2021 World Wine Awards. The collection realised a total of £89,070 / $118,374 / €104,479, with proceeds to benefit WaterAid, Change Please, Cancer Research UK, The Drinks Trust and The Decanter 360 Apprenticeship.