Selling 99% by lot and by value. New World Record for Hermitage ‘La Chapelle’ 1961 per bottle. Geneva – Tuesday, 11 May 2010. Sale no: 1373. Sold: SFr.2,105,777/$1,900,253/€1,493,206¹| Lots Sold: 440 | Lots Offered: 448 | Sold by Lot: 99% | Sold by SFr: 99%

Hermitage 'La Chapelle' 1961. Courtesy Christie's

Christie’s Geneva sale of Fine Wines totalled SFr.2,105,777 / $1,900,253 / €1,493,206 and sold 99% by value and by lot. The top lot was a rare case of the great Hermitage ‘La Chapelle’ 1961 wine which sold for SFr.109,250 against a low estimate of SFr.60,000.

David Elswood, International Head of Christie’s Wine Department, commented:

“We are thrilled with the exceptional results of this spring’s Fine Wines Auction at Christie’s Geneva. With 99% of lots sold, we totaled more than SFr.2.1 million, nearly doubling the pre-sale estimate. A new world auction record per bottle has been set by a rare case of the great Hermitage ‘La Chapelle’ 1961 wine, sold for SFr.109,250 against a low estimate of SFr.60,000. None of the 37 lots of the prestigious private collection of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti failed to sell, achieving an outstanding combined total of SFr.722,947. With a clear predominance of European buyers, numerous participants from 3 continents competed to purchase one of the best selections of wines ever offered in a Geneva sale and Christie’s Live played a crucial role, as 40% of lots received bids online. Two anonymous lady bidders won several of the highlights, contradicting the idea that the wine market is dominated by gentlemen.”

Lot | Description | Estimate (SFr.) | Purchase Price | Buyer
366 | A RARE CASE OF THE GREAT HERMITAGE LA CHAPELLE 1961 6 bottles per lot – WORLD RECORD PRICE FOR AN HERMITAGE ‘LA CHAPELLE’ WINE SOLD IN BOTTLE AT AUCTION | 60,000-80,000 | SFr.109,250/$98,587€77,469 | Asian Private
279 | Château Lafite-Rothschild –Vintage 1998 84 bottles per lot | 50,000-70,000 | SFr.97,750/$88,209/€69,314 | European Private
276 | A STAGGERING VERTICAL OF MOUTON-ROTHSCHILD FROM VINTAGES 1945 to 2007 Above 65 bottles per lot
65,000-85,000 | SFr.86,250/$77,832/€61,159 | European Private
2 | Romanée-Conti — Vintage 1990 5 bottles per lot | 45,000-55,000 | SFr.80,500/$72,643/€57,082 | Asian Private
11 | Romanée-Conti — Vintage 1999 6 bottles per lot | 40,000-50,000 | SFr.80,500/$72,643/€57,082 | Asian Private
275 | Château Pétrus — Vintage 1990 12 bottles per lot | 35,000-45,000 | SFr.69,000/$62,265/€48,927 | European Private
6 | A five magnum vertical of Romanée-Conti Above 5 magnums per lot | 50,000-60,000 | SFr.63,250/$57,076/€44,850 | European Trade
27 | La Tâche –Vintage 2003 | 12 bottles per lot | 24,000-30,000 | SFr.46,000/$41,510/€32,618 | European Private
130 | Château Lafite-Rothschild –Vintage 1996 12 bottles per lot | 10,000-14,000 | SFr.43,700/$39,434/€30,987 | European Private
9 | Romanée-Conti — Vintage 1999 | 1 jeroboam per lot | 30,000-40,000 | SFr.36,800/$33,208/€26,094 | European Trade

1. Exchange Rates: SFr.1=$0.90 ; SFr.1=€0.71 [↩]