Christie’s offers ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ Bouchard Père & Fils cellar sale
Christie’s is to sell wine from the cellars of historic Burgundy house Bouchard Père & Fils in a two-part landmark auction next month, which it says includes some of the “rarest wines ever to come to market”.
The sale, which will take place in two sessions on Thursday, 4 December 2025, will see a selection of wines from renowned vintages and vineyards from the historic Burgundy house go under the hammer, with a combined estimate of £1.226 million.
The wines in the morning sale focus on historical wines that have been stored in Bouchard’s historic cellars. The selection comprises 244 lots spanning more than a century of vintages, including some of Burgundy’s greatest vintages, including some bottles dating back to the mid-19th century.
Highlights include 1861 Romanée St-Vivant, (estimate: £9,500–14,000), 1 bottle per lot; 1886 La Tâche, (estimate: £14,000–19,000), 1 bottle per lot; and 1945 Musigny, (estimate: £3,500–5,500), 1 bottle per lot
The afternoon session is dedicated to the Vosne-Romanée 1er cru Aux Reignots, which is sited immediately above the famed Grand Cru of La Romanée, and celebrate its long-standing relationship with Bouchard. Comprising 254 lots, a Celebration of Aux Reignots, will features multiple vintages and bottle formats, which Christie’s said represented “a once-in-a-lifetime chance to acquire the last remaining bottles from these historic cellars”. The afternoon session has an estimated value of £504,900–£678,100. Among the highlights are: 1978 Vosne-Romanée Aux Reignots (estimate: £3,200–4,200), 6 bottles per lot; 1990 Vosne-Romanée Aux Reignots (en magnum) (estimate: £3,200–4,000), 6 magnums per lot; and 2005 Vosne-Romanée Aux Reignots (estimate. £3,500-4,500) 12 bottles per lot, which was the final vintage crafted by Bouchard.
Adam Bilbey, Christie’s global head of wine and spirits, said the sale offered collectors “a wonderful opportunity” to explore the depth and heritage of Bouchard Père & Fils and thanked the team at Bouchard “for entrusting us with these extraordinary treasures”.
“Each lot highlights the estate’s enduring commitment to quality, provenance, and tradition. After a notable year for our London wine sales, it is a fitting way to close 2025, celebrating both the history of the estate and the passion of collectors worldwide,” he said.
Partner Content
Frédéric Engerer, directeur dénéral Artémis Domaines, added that Bouchard Père & Fils had acquired lots from some of Burgundy’s greatest climats “for decades” — particularly at at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th — and had vinified and patiently matured them. “This auction highlights many of these exceptional wines — bottled witnesses of that era — emerging directly from our cellars at the Château de Beaune,” he said.
He added that the “superb” Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Aux Reignots climat had been vinified, in whole or in part, by Bouchard Père & Fils from 1976 to 2005. “This terroir, without question, represents a significant chapter in the history of the House, and the wines born of it continue to speak today with remarkable eloquence.”
Bouchard Père & Fils was founded in Beaune in 1731 by Michel Bouchard, and became one of the largest vineyard owners in the Cote D’or. In October 2022, the Burgundian wine domaine was bought by Artémis Domaines as part of its merger with Maisons & Domaines Henriot, which included Champagne Henriot (subsequently bought by Champagne’s largest cooperative group, Terroirs et Vignerons de Champagne (TEVC) in March 2023), William Fèvre in Chablis (since sold to Domaines Barons de Rothschild (DBR) in January 2024) and Beaux Frères in Oregon.
Less than two years later, db reported that the domaines was withdrawing from the en primeur system from the 2023 vintage, in line with the parent company’s wider strategy, and stopping its négociant activity to focus solely on estate-grown wines.
It also confirmed that its vineyards in the Côte de Nuits would transfer to the Artémis-owned Domaine d’Eugénie, as had long been suspected, a rumour which had caused some unrest in Burgundy.
