White glove sales for Lloyd Webber and Lord Rothschild’s cellars
Two recent private auction sales – the final treasures from the wine cellar of Andrew Lloyd Webber, sold online by Christie’s, and the collection of Lord Rothschild at Stowell Park, sold through Dreweatts – saw strong demand, resulting in two white glove sales.
The Lloyd Webber sale raised over £500,000 for The Music in Secondary Schools Trust – a charity that provides access to free instruments, weekly tuition and a classical music curriculum for children in selected state secondary schools. It is the final tranche of his collection, composed of top Bordeaux, red and white Burgundy and some vintage Champagne, the majority of which was sold in 2011.
All lots in the online sale earlier this month sold, reaching in excess of the low estimate (134%), with the top spot going to a 3-bottle case of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti 2005, which raised £45,000, and a 6-bottle case of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, La Tâche 2005, which achieved £40,000.
Adam Bilbey, SVP, global head of wine and spirits at Christie’s called it an “exceptional results for a cellar of outstanding provenance”, which saw strong international participation and competitive bidding, Registrants hailed from 28 countries, with around 59% coming from EMEA, 23% from APAC and 18% from the Americas.
“Collectors responded strongly to the rarity and historical significance of the wines, with sustained bidding throughout the online sale,” he said.
Andrew Lloyd Webber said he was delighted that the final sale of his wine cellar had raised over a half a million pounds for the music in schools programme which he said “empowers young people” and benefits the whole community. The strong result is likely to see an additional 4,000 kids join the programme, which has already helped more than 30,000 children, he added.
“The beneficial power of music education in schools has long proved to be a no-brainer,” he said. “The Social Value Engine reports that for every £1 invested in the programme I sponsor, the social return is a massive £9.87.”
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“Yet successive UK Governments persistently refuse to invest in a programme whose proven social and financial benefit to the nation is manifest. Vague platitudes get muttered, but platitudes are about all they amount to.”
Lord Rothschild sale soars
Meanwhile, the sale of Château Lafite from the collection of Lord Rothschild at Stowell Park through Dreweatts auction house (held on 28 April) saw all 127 lots sell, achieving £216,260 – the top end of its pre-sale estimate.
Dreweatts Head of sale Violette Jongbloed said the sales soared, with enthusiasm for strong provenance combined with grand old and prestigious wine remaining a driving force.
It was, she said “an overall result that lived up to the Rothschild name” despite the 1970s being “an often-overlooked decade”.
Hights of the cellar included the 1966 and 1975 Château Lafite, 1961 La Mission Haut-Brion, 1996 Domaine Dujac, Clos Saint-Denis, 1976 Krug, as well as the Imperial of 1994 Château d’Yquem.
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