Champagne to dominate NYC auction

Sotheby’s fine wine sale in New York this November will feature over 1,000 lots of Bollinger, Krug and top Burgundy.

Being held on 19 November, the sale has already garnered some press attention for the ex-cellar consignment of Bollinger being offered.

A bottle of the Champagne house’s 1914 vintage as well as six lots of the Vieilles Vignes Françaises will be among the fine consignment of fizz at the sale.

The Champagne section is further bolstered by some particularly excellent Krug including a magnum of 1971 Krug Collection, bottles of the 1981 Collection and 1996 Clos du Mesnil and Clos d’Ambonnay, including a magnum of ’96 Clos du Mesnil (US$1,900 – $2,600).

Three bottles of 1966 Dom Pérignon will also be offered alongside various bottles of other ’66 wines; a 12-bottle case of 1966 Armand Rousseau Chambertin ($28,000 – $35,000), a dozen Clair Daü Bonnes Mares and two bottles of Heitz Cellar Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ($3,000 – $4,000).

Bordeaux is well represented by a magnum of 1947 Cheval Blanc ($20,000 – $40,000) and close to 200 bottles of 1982 first growths.

The auction will also feature two charity lots organized by the American Friends of the Cité du Vin in Bordeaux: a Jeroboam of 2000 Mouton Rothschild as well as dinner at the estate for six and an imperial of 1995 Petrus and lunch for two at the Moueix family home.

Dominating the sale though is a consignment of Burgundy from the cellar of a former member of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, featuring nearly 400 bottles of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti spread over 200 lots and spanning the 1965-2012 vintages.

Highlights include: 12-bottle cases of 1965 Romanée-Conti and La Tâche; 1999 Montrachet and La Tâche; 2005 Romanée-Conti and Montrachet and 1990 La Tâche.

Connor Kriegel, head of auction sales for Sotheby’s Wine commented: “The November sale is a great way to cap one of the strongest years for Sotheby’s New York wine auctions. We have been honored to have offered wines from some of America’s greatest collections in the past 12 months, and we are pleased to do so again here with a wonderful West Coast Collection, as well as wines from the cellars of Martin Kaplan and a former member of La Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin among others.