HONG KONG.- Sotheby’s Hong Kong announced its upcoming wine sale – Finest & Rarest Wines Including Henri Jayer Magnums from the Exceptional Cellar of James H. Clark & The Romanée Conti Superlot on 4 October (Saturday) at Hall 3, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. A total of 778 lots will be offered in a single day, estimated at HK$35 – 53 Million / US$4.5 – 6.7 Million.

This highly-focused wine sale will feature a wealth of top-notch Burgundies, led by an historic Henri Jayer collection and the Romanée-Conti Superlot. Given their small productions, Burgundies have been in ever- growing demand globally. The Burgundy lots make up over 40% of the total number of lots available in this sale and account for approximately 70% of the value, making the sale a noteworthy occasion for Burgundy lovers in Asia and beyond.

The auction starts with a magnificent selection of Henri Jayer magnums from the exceptional cellar of James H. Clark, founder of Netscape Communications Corporation. This collection of 66 magnums in 19 lots is estimated at HK$5.9 – 8.8 million / US$750,000 – 1.12 million. Of the 66 magnums offered, 19 are the extremely rare Vosne-Romanée, Cros Parantoux 1990. Additional lots from James H. Clark – a great collection of Italian and Rhône wines will be available at a Sotheby’s Single-Owner sale that follows in New York on 15 November.

Commenting on this Burgundy cellar, Jamie Ritchie, Sotheby's Wine CEO & President, Americas & Asia, said: “In addition to being a leading technology entrepreneur and philanthropist, James H. Clark also put together an exceptional wine collection. His cellar combines truly impressive scale, with incredible quality: the best wines from the greatest producers in outstanding vintages. To be able to offer 66 magnums of Henri Jayer’s wines from the 1988, 1989 and 1990 vintages in our Hong Kong auction, as well as the greatest collection of Italian and Rhône wines that Sotheby’s has ever offered, in a special Single-Owner sale in New York, illustrates his dedicated focus on collecting and enjoying only the world’s best wines.”

Serena Sutcliffe, Master of Wine (MW), Head of International Wine, Sotheby’s, commented: “Cros Parantoux is emblematic of all that Henri Jayer achieved. The vineyard is renowned for its richness and mineral complexity. This collection also comes in a trio of fabulous vintages – 1988, 1989 and 1990, all individually expressive of their climatic differences and providing fascinating comparative drinking experience. The splendid extra of this collection is that each and every wine is in magnum, which is a perfect size that keeps a wine at its peak for an extended time.”

The second feature of this auction is the 114-bottle Romanée-Conti Superlot of 19 consecutive vintages (6 bottles per vintage from 1992 to 2010) estimated at HK$12 – 20 million / US$1.5 – 2.5 million, making it the most valuable wine auction lot ever offered. Romanée-Conti is regarded as one of the greatest wines in the world with miniscule average annual production of 5,500 bottles only. This extraordinary Romanée- Conti Superlot, having the highest pre-sale estimate ever for a single lot in a wine auction, could break Sotheby’s very own world record. As of today, the most valuable wine lot ever sold at auction was a single lot of 50 cases of Château Mouton Rothschild 1982, which sold for HK$8,202,480 / US$1,051,600 at Sotheby’s New York in 2006.

Commenting on this Superlot with the highest estimate ever in auction history, Robert Sleigh, Head of Sotheby's Wine, Asia, said: “With an annual production of around 5,000 bottles, it is a rare event to offer 12 bottles of Romanée-Conti, but to offer 114 bottles, spanning 19 vintages is an extraordinary, and most likely, a once-in-a-lifetime event. The buyer of this lot will be able to appreciate and compare these ultra- rare wines as they evolve over the coming decades.”

Serena Sutcliffe, Master of Wine (MW), Head of International Wine, Sotheby’s, commented: “With 6 bottles of each vintage from 1992 to 2010, the bottles in this Superlot can be tried at various stages of their life, which is going to be an intoxicating experience. The period of 1992 to 2010 encompasses a great epoch for Burgundy, with a string of very fine vintages of which Romanée-Conti took full advantage. The sourcing of these wines was curated by a Master of Wine at all stages of its acquisition.”

Champagne, rare Whiskies and California wines from best vintages in multiple formats will be available as well, offering wine collectors tantalising varieties from the fine Burgundies and Bordeaux.