DRC Record: 7 Mathusalem 2005 at 1.5 million dollars and 1.524 bottles for 11.6 million

A new, or should we say, yet another record has been achieved in the wine auction world, which is preparing to close a golden year. Seven Mathusalems (6 liter bottle, ed.) of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti 2005 were sold at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong for 1.5 million dollars, which is the highest figure the auction house has ever reached in its two main locations (New York and Hong Kong). And, this sale occurred just a few weeks after the colossal sale in the Big Apple, which was entirely dedicated to the Burgundy brand, had attained 7 million dollars, in addition to the world record for the most expensive bottle ever, that of the Romanée-Conti 1945 that sold for 496.000 US dollars. On the other side of the world, and more or less at the same time in Geneva, Baghera Wines sealed the sale of an entire collection for a total of 1.363 bottles, 158 magnums and three jeroboams, once again Romanée-Conti, for 11.6 million dollars. The most expensive lot, including twelve bottles of Romanée-Conti from 1937 to 1991, sold for 552.000 dollars.
The year 2014, when the world was rubbing its eyes in amazement at the 1.3 million dollars put on the plate again at Sotheby’s, and again in Hong Kong, for 114 bottles of six different Romanée-Conti vintages seems far away, since that fantastic record has now been significantly topped. What the other historic Burgundy brand, Henry Jayer, has accomplished, on the other hand, is also far away. In June, and under the hammer of Baghera Wines in Geneva, 855 bottles and 209 magnums collected the astonishing amount of 26.3 million Sterling Pounds (equal to 34.5 million euros). These are the results, therefore, which are crowning the best year ever for Sotheby’s wine section in Hong Kong since the year it opened its doors in 2014, counting 30% growth in turnover compared to 2017. “We are excited about the enormous growth of Sotheby’s Wine retail in recent years, the head of Sotheby’s wine section in Asia commented to the British portal "The Drinks Business", and “it is up to us to continue to devote our global network and our skills to always bringing exceptional wines under the hammer to be offered to the most demanding buyers all over Asia, even outside the auction market”.