The Latour 1865, reconditioned in 1990.
A single bottle of Château Latour 1865 sold for HK$812,500 (£80,500), including buyer’s premium, at the Christie’s Hong Kong auction on 30 October – well above its pre-sale high estimate of HK220,000.
Bottles of Bouchard Père & Fils Burgundy wines dating back to the 1860s also featured in the sale, which showcased rarities sourced direct from estates owned by Artémis Domaines.
Christie’s said all lots found buyers with total sales having reached HK$26m.
Napoleon III was emperor of France and the Eiffel Tower did not yet exist when grapes for Bordeaux’s well-regarded 1865 vintage were harvested.
Christie’s said the bottle of Latour 1865 sold in Hong Kong was reconditioned in 1990, with a new label and capsule.
It was joint-top lot at the auction alongside a five-litre jeroboam of the legendary Latour 1961, also sold for HK$812,500 (high estimate: HK$650,000).
The Bouchard Père & Fils, Chambertin from 1865. Photo credit: Christie’s Images Ltd. 2024
Nineteenth century red and white Burgundy from historic producer and merchant house Bouchard & Père & Fils also went under the hammer in Hong Kong.
A bottle Bouchard Père & Fils’ Chambertin 1865 sold for HK$625,000 (high e: HK$300,000), and a bottle of the group’s Montrachet 1864 fetched HK$437,500 (HK$150,000).
Artémis acquired Bouchard Père & Fils in 2022, after taking a controlling stake in a merger deal with the Henriot family’s wine business.
Frédéric Engerer, CEO of Artémis Domaines, said: ‘This sale shows that collectors attribute great importance to the provenance and storage conditions of the proposed lots, as well as the estates’ complete transparency when it comes to reconditioned bottles and the traceability features on each lot.’
‘This sale is further proof that old and rare wines, especially those from the great vintages of the nineteenth century, form a unique heritage.
‘Made from pre-phylloxera vines, these wines give rise to exceptional tasting experiences, though the number of bottles looked after with meticulous care in our cellars is slowly dwindling.’
Other highlights included Bordeaux and Burgundy wines from the celebrated 1945 vintage.
Three bottles of Bouchard Père & Fils, Musigny Grand Cru 1945 sold for HK$475,000, including buyer’s premium, more than double a pre-sale high estimate of HK$190,000.
Three single-bottle lots of Latour 1945 each fetched HK$87,500 in the sale, which was held at Christie’s’ new headquarters in Asia Pacific, The Henderson.
Other Artémis Domaines’ wines in the sale included a nine-litre Salmanazar bottle of Eisele Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 from Napa Valley. It fetched HK$27,500 (high e: HK$24,000).
Christie’s said that one in four new buyers in the auction were millennials, highlighting interest from a younger generation of bidders.
Adam Bilbey, Christie’s global head of wine and spirits, said: ‘We are pleased to achieve a 100% sell-through rate and hammering well over the high [estimate]. This once again proves the importance of quality and provenance in the fine wine market.’
He added that strong interest from bidders worldwide also reflected the reputation of Artémis Domaines’ wines.
Prices on some blue-chip fine wines have fallen in the past couple of years, following a period of strong gains in some cases. Yet auction houses have repeatedly asserted that rarely seen wines with pristine provenance have continued to prove alluring to bidders.
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