A bottle of 1945 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti has made history in the US for auction house Acker after it sold for US$812,500, smashing the same bottle’s own world record from 2018, of US$558,000.
The bottle originally came from the cellar of Robert Drouhin from the legendary 1945 vintage, and was sold by Sotheby’s in 2018 for US $558,000. The buyer stored the bottle in professional storage in the US before offering it at the Acker La Paulée Auction in Delaware (which was live-streamed to New York) on 18 March.
This vintage was one of “mythic scarcity and status” the auction house said – one of only 600 bottles produced – and was the last expression made from the domaine’s oldest, pre-phylloxera vines prior to their replanting in 1947. As a result, surviving bottles “have long been considered the pinnacle of wine collecting, with many connoisseurs believing the pre-phylloxera vines add an unmatched depth and complexity to the wine.”
Acker’s chairman John Kapon called the 1945 DRC “the greatest wine I’ve ever tasted” and said there was “significant” global interest in the wine as soon as the auction launched, with bidders hailing from four different continents.
“Momentum built throughout the week as tastings and dinners brought Burgundy’s most passionate collectors together ahead of the sale,” Acker noted.
The price was a culmination of a three-day La Paulée Auction held last week, a sale of seven featured collections comprising more than 3,700 lots. It raised more than US$25 million overall and set 460 new world records – with 85% of the Domaine direct lots setting world records, Acker said. This included 27 new world records for Domaine Dujac, 23 for Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, 20 for Domaine Leflaive, 19 for Coche-Dury and Duroché, 16 for Ramonet and 15 each for Alex Moreau and Bouchard.
“This remarkable sale was just one of hundreds of record-breaking achievements at an auction that highlighted the accelerating demand for trophy wines at the highest end of the fine wine market,” Kapon said.
The auction featured exceptional Domaine-direct selections from 15 of Burgundy’s prestigious estates, including the Domaines Alex Moreau, Fourrier, Dugat-Py, Hubert Lignier, Bizot, de Montille, Méo-Camuzet, Bachelet-Monnot, Henri Gouges, Jean-Marc Millot, Yvon Clerget, Château de la Tour, Duroché, Robert Groffier, and Dujacpinnacle. Domaine-direct offerings achieved an average of 37% above their high estimates, it said.
The weekend was about “the soul and spirit of Burgundy”, Acker added, generating an energy that brought a plethora of top producers and top collectors to town, as well as among potential buyers, “setting the stage with perfect conditions for a truly historic result.”
Other highlights of the sale included a Methuselah of 1971 La Tâche and twelve bottles of 1999 Romanée-Conti, in original packaging, which achieved $325,000 each; a Methuselah of 1999 La Tâche in its own wooden case, which raised $187,500; a six-magnum case of 2005 DRC Assortment ($162,500); a Methuselah of DRC 1996; a bottle of DRC 1943, and a magnum of 1971 Romanée-Conti, which all achieved $137,500. Meanwhile, the highest-priced white Burgundy of the sale, was Domaine d’Auvenay, with six bottles of 2013 Chevalier-Montrachet in their its own wooden case achieving $125,000.
Demand for Burgundy is at an all-time high, Kapon told the drinks business, particularly for the rarest and oldest bottles.
“The market has recovered to peak pandemic levels and continues to strengthen, with clear indicators that point to further growth in both demand and prices,” he said. “Given Burgundy’s inherently limited production and steadily expanding global audience, there’s simply not enough to go around.”
He added that currently, Burgundy makes up around 50% of the market, with Bordeaux 20% and California 10%, with Italy and the Rhône each accounting for approximately 5%.
Although the auction was held in New York, Acker’s global auction operation spans the US, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Switzerland.
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