Artcurial, France’s leading wine and spirits auction house, held a dynamic sale last Wednesday and Thursday. The sale totaled \u20ac703,348 (\u20ac787,749 including fees), with 84% of lots sold. More than 20 nationalities were represented, and 30% of lots were sold directly via the Internet. <\/p>\n
Over the two days of the sale, the surprise came from the Bourgogne Blancs, notably bottles of old Chablis vintages from the Jean Marie Raveneau estate. On average, these lots doubled or tripled their estimates, such as lot 1101, which sold for \u20ac1,100 (estimate: \u20ac420 – \u20ac460), or lot 1121, which sold for \u20ac2,500 excluding costs (estimate: \u20ac510 – \u20ac550). <\/p>\n
A bottle of Hermitage La Chapelle from 1961 (lot 1241) also fetched a very handsome price. The Rhone Valley wine fetched \u20ac12,300 \/ $13,776 including fees, exceeding its estimate of \u20ac10,000 – \u20ac11,000. <\/p>\n
Laurie Matheson and Luc Dabadie, heads of Artcurial’s Fine Wines & Spirits department, commented: “Burgundy grands crus continue to be in great demand internationally, while Bordeaux 1er grands crus class\u00e9s are enjoying a revival.<\/p>\n
However, it was not a wine but a R\u00e9my Martin Louis XIII Black Pearl Cognac (lot 676) that made the biggest grab. The magnum sold for \u20ac30,700 \/ $34,384 including costs (est: \u20ac26,000 – 27,000). <\/p>\n
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