Christie's New York: The Evening Sale: 160-lot auction of wine from 1870 - 2002.

Whether you are a wine connoisseur, rare wine collector, or simply enjoy a good auction, The Evening Sale: Finest and Rarest Wines held on November 2, 2006, at Christie's New York provided something for everyone.

Edward F. Nesta and I began the evening attending the Hospice de Beaune Master Class with renowned Burgundy expert Christie's Senior Consultant Anthony Hanson, MW. Mr. Hanson spoke about the nuances and characteristics of the 2006 Burgundy barrel vintage and how to buy wines from the barrel from the Hospice de Beaune, the most famous and oldest charity auction.

After the 2006-barrel discussion, guests had the opportunity to taste recent vintages from 1999-2004, as well as ask Mr. Hanson questions. White wine tasting included Bâtard-Montrachet Dames De Flanders 2000, Meursault-Genévrières, Philippe Le Bon 2001, Corton-Charlemagne, François De Salins 2003, and Meursault-Charmes Albert Grivault 2004. Red wine tasting included: Corton Charlotte Dumay 1999, Pommard Billardet 1999, Beaune 1er Cru Guigone De Salins 2000, Monthelie 1er Cru Lebelin 2000, Pommard Dames De La Charité 2001, Corton Charlotte Dumay 2001, Savigny-Lès- Beaune 1er Cru Forneret 2002, Clos De La Blondeau 2003, and Mazis-Chambertin Medeleine Collignon 2003.

Following the Master Class, there was a pre-auction reception featuring Champagne Delamotte.

Richard Brierley, Christie's Head of North American Wine Sales, climbed the podium, welcomed the audience and announced that in addition to live bidding from the audience and telephone bidders, as well as absentee bids, Christie's had added another element, the launch of Christie's Live® Online Bidding, a real-time, multi-media auction feature experience via the Internet. With this latest feature, interested parties can bid from the comfort of their own computer.

If you have never attended a wine auction, let me forewarn you, that it can be an intoxicating mixture of excitement, as the bidding heats up to the frantic level, with the bids displayed on the Currency Converter in US Dollar, Euro, British Pound, Swiss Franc, Hong Kong Dollar, and Japanese Yen. With lot sales sometimes climbing to over $200,000, this auction was not for the weak of heart, or the weak of purse. The Evening Sale totaled $3,337,588 with 93% of the lots sold.

The 160-lot auction offered bidders a wide range of rare or limited production wines, from 1870 - 2002 from around the world.

The evening began on a high note with a Vertical of Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon Vintages from Napa Valley 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, estimated at $70,000 - 140,000, that sold for $176,250 for the 60-bottle lot packed in six-bottle original wooden cases.

Other highlights of the evening included:

Romanée-Conti, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti - Vintage 1978, Côte de Nuits, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Bottle numbers 0023, 0024, 0025, three jerobaums (3 liters), estimate on request, sold for $211,500.

Château Margaux - Vintage 1995, Margaux, 1er cru classé, 50 dozen bottle cases, estimated at $150,000 - 250,000, sold for $199,750.

Château Mouton-Rothschild - Vintage 1945, Pauillac, 1er cru classé, six magnums, estimated at 100,000 - $150,000, sold for $141,000.

Bordeaux Firsts of the Right and Left Banks and Sauternes - Vintage 1982, Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château Latour, Château Mouton-Rothschild, Château Margaux, Château Haut-Brion, Château Cheval Blanc, Château Ausone, Château Pétrus, and Château d'Yquem, nine impériales, estimate on request, sold for $141,000.

Château Cheval-Blanc - Vintage 1947, Saint Emilion, 1er grand cru classé (A), six magnums, estimated at 100,000 - $150,000, sold for $129,250.

Romanée-Conti - Vintage 1971, Côte de Nuits, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Bottle numbered 4, one Methuselah (6 liters) estimated at $60,000 - 80,000, sold for $69,325.  

One double-magnum of Château Latour à Pomerol - Vintage 1961, Pomerol, 1er grand cru de Pomerol, estimated at $70,000 - 100,000 sold for $70,500.

Château Haut-Brion - Vintage 1989, Pessac (Graves) 1er cru classé, five dozen bottles, estimated at $30,000 - $50,000, sold for $76,375.

Château Pétrus - Vintage 1982, Pomerol, cru exceptionnel, in original wooden case, six magnums, estimated at $35,000 - 50,000, sold for $72,850.

For the complete list of all wines offered and their selling prices, as well as the details of their next auction, please contact Christie's New York (www.Christies.com). 

All prices listed in the article include the buyer's premium and are rounded to the nearest dollar. In order to provide a better understanding of the wines that were auctioned; included is some wine terminology that perhaps you may not be familiar with, magnum = two bottles, double-magnum = four bottles, jeroboam (for Burgundy, Champagne) = four bottles, and jeroboam (Bordeaux) = six bottles or 5 litres.

© January 2007. Luxury Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com. All rights reserved.