Bottle of La Tache 1886 sees ‘remarkable result’ at auction
A bottle of La Tache from the 1886 vintage sold for £325,000 last week – more than 2,200% above its low estimate – during Christie’s sale from Bouchard Père & Fils’ historic cellars, which achieved £2.4 million.
The two-part landmark auction, which was held on 4 December included “some of the rarest wines ever to come to market” according to Christie’s. It saw historic Burgundies triumph, with the historical wines from the first part of the sale reaching £1,788,125 overall. The afternoon session, which was dedicated to the Vosne-Romanée 1er cru Aux Reignots, raised £589,263 – roughly in the middle of its pre-sale estimate of £504,900–£678,100.
Together, the two sales nearly doubled the original low estimate of £1.226 million, achieving £2,377,388.
Christie’s global head of wine and spirits Adam Bilbey said the white glove sale was “an extraordinary way to close the year at Christie’s London”.
“These December live auctions from the cellars of Bouchard Père & Fils achieved outstanding results, reflecting both the rarity of these historic bottles and the deep global enthusiasm for Burgundy of exceptional provenance,” he said. “We are thrilled to see these iconic wines entering the cellars of passionate collectors around the world, celebrating the heritage and enduring prestige of this remarkable estate.”
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‘Extraordinary’ sale
Highlights of the sale included: 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; a 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.
The famed Burgundy house was founded in 1731 by Michel Bouchard, and went on to become 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. This sale included Champagne Henriot (subsequently bought by Champagne’s largest cooperative group, Terroirs et Vignerons de Champagne (TEVC) in March 2023), William Fèvre in Chablis (later sold to Domaines Barons de Rothschild) and Beaux Frères in Oregon.
In January, 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. It also announced it was stopping its négociant activity to focus solely on estate-grown wines and confirmed that its vineyards in the Côte de Nuits would transfer to the Artémis-owned Domaine d’Eugénie.
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