Sotheby’s to auction 110 years of Margaux

A “once in a lifetime” ex-cellar collection of Margaux, estimated to be worth up to US$1.14 million and spanning vintages from 1900 to 2010, will be released for sale at Sotheby’s New York auction in October.

The auction house will present 239 lots of Margaux, spanning the 1900 to 2010 vintages, for its New York sale on 17 October.

Entitled, “A Celebration of the Mentezelopolos Era,” in recognition to the Mentezelopoulos family who have run the first growth winery since 1978, the sale is the first time the wines have been offered direct from the cellars.

Estimated to be worth between $1 million to $1.4m, the auction will be preceded by events in Brazil, Mexico and New York and follows the iconic redesign of Margaux’s winery by British architect, Sir Norman Foster.

Corinne Mentzelopoulos commented: “As we celebrate 200 years of wonderful architecture at Château Margaux, I am proud and happy to share with collectors around the world a selection of our wines that I have hand-picked for this unique sale.

“I cannot think of a better wine specialist than Sotheby’s for us to part with some of the most historic of the 20th century vintages, as well as the more recent wines produced under my family’s leadership since 1978.”

Jamie Ritchie, CEO of Sotheby’s Wine, Americas & Asia, added: “This is a truly historic sale, that is only likely to happen once in a lifetime. It provides a complete picture of the Mentzelopoulos era from 1978 to today, with a retrospective of the great vintages back to 1900. It is an honor for us to offer these wines that have never before left their cellars, the sale is a one-off experience that none of us will see again.”

Particular sale highlights include the extremely rare vintage of 1900, a bottle of which is estimated between $10,000-$15,000, a Balthazar of 2009 estimated between $30,000-$50,000 and a bottle of the iconic 1983 vintage estimated between $2,000-$2,800.