Wine from the cellar of El Bulli, one of the world's leading restaurants, sold on April 3 - the first day of the six-day Sotheby's Hong Kong Spring Sale 2013.
 El Bulli's wine cellars contain some of the world's most famous brands |
The auction totalled $1.8m, with profits to benefit the El Bulli foundation, which will see the restaurant reopen following its closure in 2011 as a "creativity centre" in 2014, though plans remain obscure.
The three-starred Michelin eatery was set on the coast of Spain's Costa Brava, and won numerous accolades. It was famed for being "the most imaginative generator of haute cuisine on the planet", according to the Guardian newspaper.
Top lot of the auction was a single lot of three bottles of the 1990 Romanee Conti, which is considered one of the finest wines to have ever originated in Burgundy. The lot sold for $72,577, bringing a 52.7% increase on its $47,500 high estimate.
Burgundy saw similar success at Hart Davis Hart's recent auction in Chicago, with 100% of lots sold for a total of $4.4m. Following excellent results in 2012, Burgundy wines have enjoyed a strong start in 2013, with the Liv-Ex Fine Wine 100 posting a 3.1% increase in February.
Also starring in the El Bulli sale was the Montrachet 2003 from Domaine De La Romanee Conti. Four bottles of the wine, signed by the restaurant's owners, Ferran Adria and Juli Soler, sold for $37,866, making a 170.4% increase on the $14,000 high estimate.
