Sotheby’s Hong Kong announced it will hold two important wine sales in April, including “A Magnificent Bordeaux Cellar II” and “Finest & Rarest Wines Featuring the Collection of Ambassador Ronald Weiser”. The sales will take place during its Spring 2014 Sales Series from April 4 to April 8, 2014 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center.
The auctions will feature a total of 1,600 lots including substantial quantities of top Bordeaux and Burgundies from the best vintages, with many available in multiple formats and in parcel quantities. It offers an exceptional opportunity for discerning Asian collectors who are keen to form a serious cellar of investment-grade wines.
The “Magnificent Bordeaux Cellar II” sale follows the success of “A Magnificent Bordeaux Cellar” auction that took place in October 2013. The second part of this exceptional private cellar features 381 lots estimated at $2.3 million to $3.3 million. The sale will include the finest Bordeaux, all First Growths plus their equivalents. There will also be Cheval Blanc and La Mission Haut–Brion, from the top vintages, such as 1982, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 2000, that will be available in multiple formats. Many of these are offered in parcel quantities including 11 cases of Château Mouton Rothschild 1986, 12 cases of Château Margaux 1996 and 15 cases of Château Cheval Blanc 2000.
For Sauternes lovers, there will be an impressive selection of Yquem in parcel quantities from the great vintages over the past 20 years, including 10 cases of 2001.
“We are privileged to bring to auction a second part of this magnificent cellar of top Bordeaux wines,” says Serena Sutcliffe, Head of Sotheby’s International Wine Department. “The vintages range from 1966 to 2004 and these remarkable wines come in a stupendous choice of formats that work for intimate dinners, or great parties and celebrations. Landmark vintages are here in abundance. There is the same wonderful choice for all the First Growths. This splendid collection is a serenade to the magnificence of Bordeaux’s First Growths, surely amongst the greatest achievements of France itself.”
The “Finest & Rarest Wines Featuring the Collection of Ambassador Ronald Weiser” sale features 1,219 lots estimated at $6.8 to $9.6 million, highlighted by a superb collection of 151 lots from the home cellar of Ambassador Ronald Weiser. The Weiser Sale is being offered by the University of Michigan with all proceeds benefiting the Food Allergy Center. The collection represents over a century of liquid history, from 1899 to 2008, with an emphasis on historic, mature wines of remarkable complexity and depth.
Rare vintages in large format are available, including magnums of La Mission Haut-Brion 1945, Cheval Blanc 1929 and Lafite 1959. A 57-bottle vertical of Mouton Rothschild from 1918 to 1996 is another major sale attraction. There is also a magnificent collection of top class burgundies highlighted by 80 lots of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti from 1952 to 2008 and 26 lots of Henri Jayer from 1980 to 1993. All wines in this collection have been bought with great care and kept in excellent condition before being shipped to Hong Kong via dedicated temperature-controlled ocean freight.
“French wines are his greatest love and the pinnacles of winemaking in Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne are represented in this exciting auction,” says Serena Sutcliffe, Head of Sotheby’s International Wine Department. “With the exception of a few younger vintages that were bought on release, all the wines in this sale were purchased more than fifteen years ago and have since been stored under ideal conditions in his home cellar. The collection represents over a century of liquid history, tracing how some of the world’s most iconic wines evolve and change, showing different aspects of their beauty with each decade.”
For more information about the auction or to inquire about placing a bid, contact Sotheby’s.
Photos Courtesy of Sotheby’s
