Finarte auction: podium to Henri Jayer, Italy on top with Giacomo Conterno and Soldera Case Basse

The podium was entirely dominated by Burgundy legend Henri Jayer with his magnum of Richebourg Grand Cru 1985 confirmed as the “top lot” sold for 37,820 euros (starting price 23,000 euros) followed by a bottle of Richebourg Grand Cru 1986, auctioned for 10,980 euros (starting price 5,800 euros), and a bottle of Vosne Romanée Cros Parantoux Grand Cru 1996, also from the Burgundy icon sold for 9,028 euros (starting price 4,800 euros). But Italy also managed to shine, thanks especially to the great wines of Piedmont and Tuscany among Barolo and Brunello di Montalcino, Supertuscans and Chianti Classico, as well as rarer and more sought-after labels from Veneto and Campania. Notable results include a jeroboam of Monfortino 2015 by Giacomo Conterno sold for 3,660 euros (starting price 3,000 euros), another lot of 3 bottles of Monfortino 2013 sold for 2,684 euros (starting price 2,100 euros), and 2 bottles of Brunello di Montalcino Docg 1986 by Soldera Case Basse sold for 1,830 euros (starting price 1,200 euros). They were accompanied by excellent performances from Ornellaia with 6 bottles of the 1993 vintage from Tenuta dell’Ornellaia (now part of the Frescobaldi Group) auctioned for 1,037 euros, and Tignanello, with 6 bottles of the 2014 vintage from Marchesi Antinori also sold for 1,037 euros.
Among the lesser-known Italian excellences, Finarte highlights the strong results of Montevetrano, with its 3 jeroboams of Colli di Salerno IGT 2012, 2015, and 2016 sold for 976 euros; Quintodecimo, with 6 bottles of Grande Cuvée Luigi Moio 2001-2021 auctioned off for 549 euros; a selection of 6 bottles (2 magnums of Merlot 2021, 2 of Merlot 2022, and 2 of Rosso 2022) from Miani also auctioned off for 549 euros; a jeroboam of Chianti Classico San Lorenzo Gran Selezione 2018 by Castello di Ama sold for 464 euros; and 6 bottles of Radici Riserva 2016 by Mastroberardino auctioned for 232 euros. These are the results of the Finarte Auction held in recent days in Milan.
“The results of this auction confirm a trend we are observing with growing interest  - comments Guido Groppi, Head of the Wine and Spirits Department at Finarte -  the market is rewarding Italian wines with increasing conviction, not just the most celebrated labels such as Conterno, Soldera, and the Supertuscans. Demand is also expanding toward niche wineries: a very encouraging sign for the maturation of Italian wine collecting”.
In addition to Italian wines and again the great wines of Burgundy (worth noting a bottle of Clos de Vougeot 1996 by Domaine Rene Engel sold for 1,220 euros, a bottle of Richebourg 1981 from Romanée-Conti sold for 1,220 euros, and a lot featuring a bottle of Château Mouton Rothschild 1965, which recorded the highest number of bids and ultimately sold for 671 euros (starting price 150 euros), the auction also included spirits: “a market in full evolution, where the public response was enthusiastic across the board, demonstrating that collectors today seek increasingly broad and diversified experiences”, adds Groppi. Among the top lots in this segment, there were the Macallan No. 80 Proof whisky from 1956, sold for 2,000 euros; the Marc de Bourgogne grappa from Romanée-Conti 1989, sold for 1,800 euros; and the Signatory Springbank No. 118 and Springbank 23 YO Aeging Monography whiskies from Samaroli, both sold for 1,500 euros.