Records Smashed at Sotheby’s Historic Wine Auctions in Burgundy and Paris 

Records Smashed at Sotheby’s Historic Wine Auctions in Burgundy and Paris 

Records Smashed at Sotheby’s Historic Wine Auctions in  Burgundy and Paris 

-First-Ever Auction Dedicated Entirely to Champagne and  

-First Single-Owner Wine Auction in Burgundy  

-Brings a Combined Total of €3.3m / $3.6m 

Comprised Entirely of Bottles from the Legendary Cellar of Epicure and Aesthete Pierre Chen

Further Live Auctions from the Collection to Come this Autumn

In a unique event on 2 July at the exclusive Couvent des Cordeliers in Beaune, records were smashed during Sotheby’s auction devoted exclusively to Burgundy. Achieving €2 million / $2.1 million, the sale marked the latest chapter of “The Epicurean’s Atlas” – the most important and valuable wine collection ever to come to the market, sourced from the legendary cellar of visionary collector and epicurean Pierre Chen. Featuring the crème de la crème of Burgundy wines from Mr. Chen’s cellar, “Live in the Vines” also marked the first single-owner wine auction to be staged in a region famed for its Grand Cru vineyards.

The sale followed hot on the heels of “The Ultimate Champagnes”, the first-ever auction devoted exclusively to Champagne, at Sotheby’s in Paris on 20 June, which also set a number of new world record prices. Representing the first chapter of The Epicurean’s Atlas in Europe, this particularly special episode in the global sale series realised €1.35 million / $1.45 million.

Overall, the two historic French auctions brought a combined total of €3.3 million / $3.6 million – a result that stands comfortably as the most valuable Single Owner wine collection ever sold by Sotheby’s in France. Across both sales, there was global participation from 29 countries, with a significant number of lots sold achieving prices above their high estimates (45%) and an average hammer price per lot of €7,198 (almost twice the average lot value for wine sales at Sotheby’s globally between January and June 2024).

The journey of The Epicurean’s Atlas across the globe continues with sales in New York in September and Hong Kong in November.

 

SALES OVERVIEW

“Live In The Vines”

“The strong activity we saw across all channels in the Live In The Vines auction in Beaune, including a full room with spirited in-person bidding, is testament to the outstanding quality of Pierre Chen’s wines, which drew competition from savvy wine collectors worldwide, and provides a strong indication of the importance of being present in this special location in the global wine market. Pierre Chen is a visionary collector who is intimately linked with Beaune and the wider Burgundy region. We are delighted that Sotheby’s, in partnership with Pierre Chen, has been able to continue to grow its presence and role within the community and market here, by offering this sale to our local and international clients immediately following the conclusion of the Musique et Vin festival, an important fixture of our annual calendar. In particular, it was incredibly special for us to see a number of new world record prices being set in the Beaune saleroom at the 13th century Caves du Couvent des Cordeliers.”
George Lacey, Head of Sotheby’s Wine, Asia

• Buyers in Asia were the dominant force, accounting for more than 70% of the overall spend

• More than a third of the lots sold achieved prices above their high estimates Burgundy Records

• Lot 140: 2007 DRC Montrachet, 3 bottles – 50% higher than the previous world record, at more than €15,800 per bottle

• Lot 130: 2005 DRC La Tâche, magnum – world record price, at €35,000 per magnum

• Lot 116: 2014 DRC La Tâche, 3 bottles – world record price, at more than €9,100 per bottle

• Lot 1: 2005 DRC Échezeaux, 3 bottles – more than double the previous world record, at €10,000 per bottle

• Lot 200: 1990 Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Bèze, 12 bottles – world record price, at more than €8,300 per bottle

• Lot 202: 2009 Rousseau Chambertin, 12 bottles – world record price, at more than €5,700 per bottle

• Lot 203: 2010 Rousseau Gevrey Chambertin Clos St Jacques, 6 bottles – world record price, at more than €3,900 per bottle

• Lot 4: 2011 Domaine Leroy Chambertin, 3 bottles – world record price, at more than €16,600 per bottle Top 10 Lots

Top 10 Lots

• Chevalier Montrachet 2009, Domaine d’Auvenay, 6 bottles, sold for €106,250 / $113,847 (est. €85,000-130,000) (Lot 227)

• Chambertin, Clos de Bèze 1990, Domaine Armand Rousseau, 12 bottles, sold for €100,000 / $107,150 (est. €40,000-60,000) (Lot 200)

• La Tâche 1990, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Côte de Nuits, 12 bottles, sold for €81,250 / $87,059 (est. €30,000-40,000) (Lot 134)

• DRC Assortment Case 1999, Romanée-Conti Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, 12 bottles, sold for €75,000 / $80,362 (est. €60,000-90,000) (Lot 143)

• Chambertin 2009, Domaine Armand Rousseau, 12 bottles, sold for €68,750 / $73,666 (est. €40,000-55,000) (Lot 202)

• Chambertin 2009, Domaine Armand Rousseau, 12 bottles, sold for €62,500 / $66,969 (est. €40,000-55,000) (Lot 201)

• La Tâche 2009, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, 6 bottles, sold for €60,000 / $64,290 (est. €30,000-400,000) (Lot 121)

• Chambertin 2011, Domaine Leroy, 3 bottles, sold for €50,000 / $53,575 (est. €26,000-38,000) (Lot 4)

• Bâtard Montrachet 2014, Domaine d’Auvenay, 3 bottles, sold for €50,000 / $53,575 (est. €40,000-60,000) (Lot 225)

• La Tâche 2005, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, 6 bottles, sold for €50,000 / $53,575 (est. €35,000-42,000) (Lot 129)

 

“The Ultimate Champagnes”

• Participation from 23 countries

• Strong bidding from collectors in Southeast Asia and Continental Europe

• A quarter of the buyers under 40 years of age, and almost a quarter of the buyers new to Sotheby’s

• Just over half of the lots sold achieved prices above their high estimates, and many lots exceeded their estimates by a wide margin

• The percentage of lots sold for prices above their high estimates is among the highest for a Sotheby’s wine sale this year

Champagne Records

• Lot 157: 1966 Dom Perignon P3 magnum – more than double the previous world record, at €23,750 per magnum

• Lot 17: 1990 Salon Le Mesnil 3 magnums – more than double the previous world record, at more than €8,300 per magnum

• Lot 19: 1988 Salon Le Mesnil 3 magnums – nearly double the previous world record, at €7,500 per magnum

• Lot 82: 1985 Krug Collection 6 magnums – world record price, at more than €3,500 per magnum

Top 10 Lots

• Salon Le Mesnil, Blanc de Blancs 1990, 3 Magnums, sold for €25,000 / $26,850 (est. €9,500-13,000) (Lot 17)

• Dom Pérignon, P3 1966, 1 Magnum, sold for €23,750 / $25,508 (est. €7,500-9,500) (Lot 157)

• Salon Le Mesnil, Blanc de Blancs 1988, 3 Magnums, sold for €22,500 / $24,165 (est. €10,000-13,000) (Lot 19)

• Krug Collection 1985, 6 Magnums, sold for €21,250 / $22,822 (est. €11,000-14,000) (Lot 82)

• Salon Le Mesnil, Blanc de Blancs 1983, 3 Magnums, sold for €21,250 / $22,822 (est. €9,000-12,000) (Lot 21)

• Dom Pérignon, P3 1982, 6 bottles, sold for €20,000 / $21,480 (est. €15,000-20,000) (Lot 152)

• Dom Pérignon Rosé, P3 1988, 3 Magnums, sold for €18,750 / $20,138 (est. €14,000-18,000) (Lot 203)

• Salon Le Mesnil, Blanc de Blancs 1996, 12 bottles, sold for €17,500 / $18,795 (est. €12,000-15,000) (Lot 15)

• Dom Pérignon Rosé, P3 1988, 3 Magnums, sold for €17,500 / $18,795 (est. €14,000-18,000) (Lot 202)

• Krug, Clos d’Ambonnay 1996, 6 bottles, sold for €16,250 / $17,452 (est. €13,000-18,000) (Lot 27)

 

Last November, the eagerly-awaited first offering of wines from Mr. Chen’s cellar realised US$16.8 million in a two-day auction at Hong Kong’s Mandarin Oriental – among the highest totals ever achieved for a single wine sale. While the 25,000 bottles to be sold across the course of The Epicurean’s Atlas auction series represent just a fraction of Mr. Chen’s vast collection – assembled over some forty years with care, connoisseurship and a keen palate – their sale nonetheless represents a defining moment for the market.

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