Sotheby s To Celebrate 40 th Anniversary of Wine Sales with a Two Day Auction in London

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1 Press Release London For Immediate Release London +44 (0) Matthew Weigman Matthew Floris Mary Engleheart New York Dan Abernethy Sotheby s To Celebrate 40 th Anniversary of Wine Sales with a Two Day Auction in London Vertical of Château Mouton Rothschild from To Lead the Sale One of Four Sessions Devoted Entirely to Superb Champagne Remarkable Collection of Château Lafite ranging from Lot 131 : Vertical of Château Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, 1er Cru Classé, est. 15,000 20,000 London 15 September 2010 Sotheby s London will hold a two day auction on the 22 nd 23 rd September of Finest and Rarest Wines & Spirits to mark the 40 th anniversary of wine sales at the company. Sotheby s Wine Department was founded in 1970 at a time when few could have imagined what a global phenomenon wine auctions would become. Since then, Sotheby s has had the privilege to offer wines direct from some of the most famous Châteaux and estates in the world such as Château d Yquem (2008) and Château Cheval Blanc (2009) in London; Château Mouton Rothschild (2007) and

2 Vega Sicilia (2009) in New York, Château d Yquem, Château Cheval Blanc and Dom Pérignon (April 2010) and Château Lafite (October 2010) in Hong Kong. This September, Sotheby s Wine Department is delighted to be celebrating forty years of sales by holding this landmark auction. The first Sotheby s wine sale took place in Glasgow on September 16, 1970, and was soon followed by the first auction in London on 26 th October. Sotheby s has since expanded to reach out internationally and now holds regular wine sales in New York and Hong Kong as well as in London. The 40 th Anniversary Sale will begin with a superb private collection, the highlight of which is a vertical of Château Mouton Rothschild of virtually every vintage from , and is followed by a stunning collection of Champagne from all of the top houses, often in parcel quantities. Day two of the auction starts with an exceptional collection of the mythical Château Lafite including 1982, 1986 and every vintage from while the final and fourth session features benchmark Bordeaux and Château d Yquem from a private collector. The sale has a pre sale estimate of 1.6 million 2 million. Serena Sutcliffe, MW, comments: It is difficult to believe that the turnover for the Wine Department s first season, 40 years ago, was 148,288 while our 2010 global turnover to end July was US$37,276,696. Feel the pressure! Certainly, this could not be done without a devoted and experienced international team, to which all credit falls. It has been a privilege to lead Sotheby s Wine Department to this position and we shall all strive to continue to bring unsurpassed wine collections to auction and into the cellars of our clients. The Wine Department in London has come a long way from the first auctions in There were no desk top computers to help catalogue all catalogues were compiled by hand, set by the printer, proof read and corrected before going to print. In the sale room there were no paddles and clients names were called out by the auctioneer with a runner collecting the names on bidding sheets completed by successful bidders. Today, in the digital age, buyers from all corners of the globe are able to watch the 2

3 auction and purchase great wines from the comfort of their home or office, or while on the move, with Sotheby s Live online bidding. The anniversary sale begins with a Magnificent Private Wine Collection featuring a comprehensive range of Bordeaux from all the First Growths and other top Châteaux, together with Burgundy, Italian wines and rare spirits. The owner, a very generous and knowledgeable wine enthusiast, built up his collection over several decades, steadily acquiring Bordeaux en primeur through one or two reputable wine merchants and occasionally supplementing his collection by buying older vintages of wine at auction. Stephen Mould, Senior Director, Sotheby s Wine Department, saw the collection in situ and commented: As soon as one walked into his cellar, his predilection for Château Mouton Rothschild was very evident from the vertical displayed on a huge table forming a wonderful centrepiece. This collection has to include one of the most comprehensive selections of Mouton Rothschild we have ever offered at auction, particularly with the variety of different bottle sizes ranging from half bottles through every other size to imperials and the depth of different vintages. Entering the cellar (illustrated right) was like stepping into Aladdin s cave with wooden boxes of Classed Growth Claret neatly arranged in rows from floor to ceiling. Around the walls of the cellar, which were several feet thick keeping the wines cool and at a constant temperature, the owner had fitted wooden bins containing a vast array of wines he had collected and enjoyed over the years. These included Italian wines from great producers such as Gaja, Antinori and Giacosa, and Burgundy from Domaine de la Romanée Conti and Jean Grivot, which are offered in this sale either as full or interesting mixed cases. The vertical of Château Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, 1er Cru Classé, (illustrated on pages 1 and 2) comprises a bottle from every vintage of Mouton from 1945 to 2003 apart from 1948, and is estimated at 15,000 20,000 (lot 131). 3

4 Highlights from Session I: Lots 73 79, all Château Mouton Rothschild 1996, Pauillac, 1er Cru Classé an excellent vintage with a variety of large format bottles including six Magnums (est. 2,400 3,200), a Double Magnum (est ,100), one Jeroboam (est. 1,350 1,800) and an Imperial (est. 1,600 2,200). A selection of spirits are being offered, including Cognac, Armagnac and Eau de Vie produced by Château Mouton Rothschild and Château Lafite Rothschild (lots 439 and 440). The second session is made up of a truly mouthwatering array of vintage and non vintage Champagne and prestige cuvées from the top Champagne houses, often in parcel quantities. Many bottles come in presentation packs and make for wonderful presents. Among these splendid bottles is a selection of Krug, Clos d Ambonnay, 1995, the first vintage of this new cuvée to be produced and released as a group of only 3000 in April 2008, (lots , illustrated right). Highlights from Session II: Parcels of Dom Pérignon 1998 feature in the sale with an estimate of for six bottles (lots ) and for 12 bottles (lots ). A number of large format bottles of Moët & Chandon Brut Imperial NV including Jeroboams, Methuselahs, a Salmanazar and a Balthazar (lots ) Veuve Clicquot Brut NV (lots 621 5), also in large format bottles including a Nebuchadnezzar (lot 625, est ). Princess Ruspoli s remarkable collection of Château Lafite ranging from leads the third session and the second day of the sale. 4

5 Highlights from Session III: Château Lafite 1961, Pauillac, 1er Cru Classé, (lot 626, est. 1,200 1,600 for three bottles). Château Lafite 1982, Pauillac, 1er Cru Classé, (lot 628, est. 20,000 26,000 for twelve bottles illustrated right). Château Lafite 1986, Pauillac, 1er Cru Classé, (lot 632, est. 11,000 14,000 for twelve bottles). A number of popular Second Growths feature in the fourth and final session of the sale, among them Château Pichon Longueville, Lalande 1996, Pauillac, 2ème Cru Classé, (lot 1004, est for six bottles). Further highlights from Session IV: Château La Mission Haut Brion 1998, Talence (Pessac Léognan), Grand Cru Classé, est. 1,150 1,400 for twelve bottles (lot 1041). Château Ducru Beaucaillou 1996, St. Julien, 2ème Cru Classé, est ,000 for twelve bottles (lots ). NOTES TO EDITORS: # # # Sotheby s Wine Sales in 2010, First Seven Months In the first half of 2010 Sotheby s global wine sales totaled US$37,276,696 ( 24,541,604), the equivalent figure in 2009 was US$19,984,530 ( 13,294,440) a 86.5% increase. Of the total, 54.6% was sold in Hong Kong, 26.8% in London and 18.6% in New York. The US$37,276,696 total is the highest for any auction house selling wine in the three major auction centers of New York, London and Hong Kong. All of Sotheby s Hong Kong wine sales so far this year has been 100% sold the only major auction house with this record. In July 2010, Sotheby s announced the appointment of Robert Sleigh as Head of Sotheby s Wine, Asia, and Michelle Chan as Wine Specialist. Both will be based in Hong Kong. Mr. Sleigh was formerly Head of Sotheby s New York Wine Department and with these two appointments, Sotheby s now stands as the only international auction house in Hong Kong with a fully staffed wine business, with a senior experienced wine auction specialist. Of the four auctions held at Sotheby s Hong Kong, three were single owner sales from prestigious cellars including the sale of Cheval Blanc, Yquem and Dom Pérignon direct from the Châteaux. 5

6 In London, a single owner sale totaling 1.6 million in January began a series of 7 sales, concluding with a 1.2 million sale in July. 6