Zachys’ de Rothschild auction achieves US$11m, quadrupling estimate
The latest sale from US wine auction house Zachys, featuring wines from the cellar of Jacqueline (de Rothschild) Piatigorsky, realised US$11,160,375, smashing the US$2.8m pre-sale estimate.
A wine collection previously belonging to Jacqueline (de Rothschild) Piatigorsky, granddaughter of the purchaser of Château Lafite in 1868, has been sold by Zachys in New York.
Taking place on 19 September at The Pool in New York City, the auction saw in-person and online bids from 17 countries across the world.
The Collection of Jacqueline (de Rothschild) Piatigorsky realised US$11,160,375 versus a pre-auction estimate of US$2,760,000, with 100% of lots sold.
All of the wines featured in the auction were acquired on release from de Rothschild’s cellar, and have been stored in Pauillac ever since. de Rothschild had never sold wine from her collection.
Charles Antin, Global Head of Wine Auctions, said of the landmark sale: “At every step in the process, from the time I first saw the inventory on paper, decades ago, to inspection of the bottles in Pauillac with my colleagues earlier this year, we knew we were making wine-auction history. It was gratifying to see so many of our collector friends and clients respond to what was truly a once-in-a-lifetime offering of unmatched provenance.”
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The auction began with Châteaux Branaire-Ducru, Brane-Cantenac, Cheval Blanc, Cos d’Estournel and even three bottles of 1875 Giscours, which realised US$106,250, a record for Giscours.
The first First Growth of the day, a three bottle lot of 1899 Haut-Brion, prompted auctioneer Charles Antin to remark, “this is the last time you will see this wine ever again”, before hammering it down for a record price of US$100,000. The next lot surpassed it, with another three-pack of 1899 Haut-Brion selling for US$106,250.
The sale continued through 177 lots of Lafite-Rothschild, with 498 bottles and large formats selling for US$6.49 million. The sale also featured a rare offering of Lafite Blanc — a wine not produced at Lafite-Rothschild since the 1960s.
The auction concluded with world-record prices for 11 lots of Sauternes from Climens, La Tour Blanche, Rayne Vigneau, and Suduiraut. Bidders from across North America, Europe, and Asia competed for wines from more than 20 châteaux, which had never left Pauillac prior to this auction.
Including the prior day’s multi-vendor auction, Zachys’ two-day total reached $17,163,925, with more than 98% of lots sold.
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