Acker Merrall & Condit, leading rare wine auctioneer and America's oldest fine wine merchant, announced today the results of The World's Greatest Burgundy Auction: Part I.
The auction featured Burgundy and other wines from the collection of Don Stott, possessor of the largest and most extensive collection of Burgundy in the world.
It featured literally hundreds of bottles from the Domaine de la Romanee Conti, Domaine Leroy, and the iconic Henri Jayer - the King, Queen, and Prince of Burgundy, plus additional thousands of bottles from a who's who of other top-tier Burgundy producers - Rousseau, Roumier, Roty, Dugat, Lignier, Coche-Dury, Ramonet, Leflaive, and many, many more.
Feverish bidding from collectors in the room, on the phone, and live on the internet resulted in 95% of 941 lots being sold and sales just over $4 million.
Domaine de la Romanee Conti dominated the top with the sale's top five lots, with other appearances by Burgundy legends Roumier, Vogue and Jayer. Only one Bordeaux cracked the top ten, a case of 2000 Lafite Rothschild, highlighting the importance of Burgundy in Don's collection.
 The auction-topping Romanee-Conti 1990 Burgundy wine Three bottles sold for $51,240 |
114 New World Records were set, including four new ones for Comte de Vogue, four for Mugnier, six for Roumier, eight for DRC, eleven for Leroy and thirteen for Faiveley.
John Kapon, CEO of Acker Merrall, commented "It's been said of Don's collection that it constitutes a reference library of great Burgundy, and our clients clearly saw the truth in that statement.
"They knew they were buying from the greatest collector - and the greatest collection - of Burgundy in the world, and they bid accordingly.
"We are thrilled with the results, and on the heels of this enthusiastic sale, we can't wait to see what happens in Hong Kong this Friday and Saturday, as we feature a larger selection of Don's wines in Part II of 'The World's Greatest Burgundy Auction.' We're very confident more records will be broken."
As for Don Stott, he was clearly very happy with the way the auction was carried out: "My longstanding personal and professional association with John Kapon and Acker Merrall has been based on respect and trust - and, of course, on our mutual obsession with wine.
"John is one of those rare people with whom it is possible, simultaneously, to be fun-loving and serious, and his company, Acker Merrall, reflects the spirit of the man.
"In auctioning my wine, they have executed flawlessly at every step. And we've all had a damn good time doing it. And today's results were outstanding and speak for themselves."
