Sotheby’s sales make over US$3m

Sotheby’s fine wine sales in London and New York made over US$3 million and included the first sale in Ornellaia’s ‘Archivio Storico’ project.

The London sale on 24 February made £777,580 (US$1m) with the majority of the best-selling lots being Bordeaux including 1995 and 1983 Petrus, 2009, 2010 and 1996 Margaux, 1990 Lafite and Latour and 1982 La Mission Haut-Brion.

Stephen Mould, head of Sotheby’s Wine Europe, said: “The auction room buzzed with clients eager to acquire pristine Bordeaux in parcel quantities at all price points.

“A plethora of absentee bids and interest online contributed to a strong result for this superb Bordeaux collection.”

Then in New York on 27 February the fine wine sale featuring the Ornellaia Archivio Storico wines made US$1.9m in total.

Particularly well received were the bottles of Ornellaia Bianco 2013, a six-pack of which made US$2,300 against a high estimate of US$1,400.

However, it does not appear the collection was either 100% sold or that all lots sold above their high-estimates – even those wines dating back to the early 1990s. For example, some double magnums of 2000 appear to have gone unsold and several six-packs of the 1998 and 1999 did not reach their US$1,800 high estimates nor did some double magnums of the 2006.

The sale also featured several lots of Californian wines from Sine Qua Non and Cayuse; standout sales included a double magnum of 2013 Cayuse Bionic Frog which sold for US$8,000 and two double magnums of 1995 Sine Qua Non Non Red-Handed for US$26,900.

More wines from the Archivio Storico project will appear at Sotheby’s next London sale on 16 March.