Lasting over eight hours, the session held on Saturday May 28, 2011, resulted in the sale of every one of the 329 lots of Rarities that the Cellar of Château Latour has on offer.

This marks a promising start to the Hong Kong spring sales as bidders blew away valuations with 95% of lots exceeding their high estimates.

The auction total reached HK$59,718,000 – a figure helped by the top 14 lots reaching between HK$1 and HK$1.8 Million.

Vintage 1961 accounted for 9 of the top 10 sellers, with a 1945 Vintage snatching 5th place.

Mr. David Elswood, International Head of Wine for Christie’s, called the sale a “triumphant result for Château Latour in Hong Kong” and pointed out that the HK$1.8 Million sale price marked a new record for the 6 magnum lots of Vintage 1961.

Mr. Charles Curtis MW, Head of Wines for Christie’s Asia, commented that; “Asian buyers came out particularly strong, dominating our top tens of the sale.” He noted another record in the highest average lot value to date for this type of auction, at HK$152,342; a feat which Mr. Curtis said reflected a “true appreciation of quality and the pursuit of perfection among wine connoisseurs around the world.”

Click here for a list of the final prices.

Sheraton’s Sky Lounge is featuring a collection of 24 second growth wines from some of the most prestigious wine estates in the world including Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Chateau Latour, Chateau Margaux, Chateau Haut-Brion, Chateau Mouton-Rotschild, Thermanthia, Dominus Estate and many more. Second wine is the term for second label wine not selected for use in the Gran Vin or first label. Though the wine is from the same winemaker, same vineyard and has gone through similar blending and processes, they’re offered at 50-70% of the price of first label.

This is a great opportunity to taste wines from some of the most famous wineries in the world by the glass, before you consider buying a full bottle.

Details:

• When: now till 31 August 2010
• Where: Sky Lounge, Level 18, Sheraton Hong Kong Hotels & Tower, 20 Nathan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
• For reservations, call 2369 1111

Sotheby’s will have the honor of hosting the first wine auction of the New Year, which will take place at the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong. It will be the fourth installment in the Classic Cellar from A Great American Collection wine auction series. The auction takes place January 23rd.

The event will offer the most valuable wine collection ever provided by Sotheby’s, which includes 840 lots worth HK$28.5 to $40.8 million. Haut Brion 1998, Leoville Lascases 1996 and Lynch Bages 2000 will be offered to participants – bottles which come straight from the Classic Cellar.

Bordeaux Chateaux bottles include 59 lots of Chateau Petrus, 80 lots of Chateau Lafite, 65 lots from Chateau Latour and 78 lots of chateau Margaux. To register for online bidding on auction items, click here.

Auction highlights include the sale of all the very best Bordeaux Châteaux in a range of vintages and formats:

More than 59 lots of Château Pétrus from 1975-2005 including:

• 2 cases of 1989 estimated at HK$160/240,000 (US$20/30,000) per case
• 3 cases of 1990 estimated at HK$160/240,000 (US$20/30,000) per case
• 7 cases of 1995 estimated at HK$80/120,000 (US$10/15,000) per case
• 2 cases of 1998 estimated at HK$140/220,000 (US$18/27,500) per case
• 1 case of 2000 estimated at HK$140/200,000 (US$18/25,000) per case
• More than 80 lots of Château Lafite from 1982-2006 including:
• 1 1982 imperial (6 liter) estimated at HK$140/200,000 (US$18/25,000)
• 24 1986 half bottles estimated at HK$70/95,000 (US$9/12,000) per 24 bts
• 1 1996 imperial (6 liter) estimated at HK$55/80,000 (US$7/10,000) per case
• 4 cases of 1996 estimated at HK$70/95,000 (US$9/12,000) per case
• 3 cases of 2000 estimated at HK$95,000-160,000 (US$12/20,000) per case
• 3 cases of 2003 estimated at HK$46/70,000 (US$6/9,000) per case

More than 65 lots of Château Latour from 1961-2006 including:

• 1 jero (4.5 liter) of 1961 estimated at HK$200/280,000 (US$25/35,000) per case
• 2 cases of 1982 estimated at HK$140/200,000 (US$18/25,000) per case
• 10 cases of 1990 estimated at HK$38/55,000 (US$5/7,000) per case
• More than 126 lots of Château Mouton Rothschild from 1975-2006 including:
• 6 cases of 1982 estimated at HK$80/120,000 (US$10/15,000) per case
• 4 lots of 6 1982 magnums estimated at HK$95/150,000 (US$12/20,000) per case
• 8 cases of 1986 estimated at HK$55/80,000 (US$7/10,000) per case
• 5 imperials (6 liter) of 1989 estimated at HK$30/42,000 (US$3,750/5,500) per case
• 5 imperials (6 liter) of 1990 estimated at HK$16/24,000 (US$2/3,000) per case
• 7 cases of 2000 estimated at HK$65/95,000 (US$8/12,000) per case
• More than 78 lots of Château Margaux from 1982-2008 including:
• 6 cases of 1995 estimated at HK$28/38,000 (US$3,500/5,000) per case
• More than 69 lots of Château Haut Brion from 1959-2006 including:
• 3 cases of 1982 estimated at HK$60/85,000 (US$8/11,000) per case
• 5 cases of 1989 estimated at HK$85/140,000 (US$11/18,000) per case
• 6 cases of 1995 estimated at HK$26/32,000 (US $3,250/4,250) per case
• More than 70 lots of Château Cheval Blanc from 1982-2006 including:
• 4 cases of 1982 estimated at HK$70/95,000 (US$9/12,000) per case
• 8 cases of 2000 estimated at HK$55/80,000 (US$7/10,000) per case

Totals so far of the Classic Cellar from A Great American Collector:

1. Part I (NY, Mar 09) US$2,225,009
2. Part II (HK, Apr 09) US$6,400,373 – 100% sold
3. Part III (HK, Oct 09) US$4,916,463 – 100% sold
4. Total – US$13,541,845

The next Sotheby’s auction will be in early April. Details to be announced in early 2010.

Zachys returned to Hong Kong for its second auction in the city last Saturday, April 25. The auction reached a staggering sales total of HK$32 million and featured over 760 lots of the world’s finest and rarest wines, including the best of Bordeaux and Burgundy.

Zachys President Jeff Zacharia commented, “We are thrilled to return to Hong Kong for our second auction. There is no doubt in my mind that Asia is emerging as one of the most important wine markets in the world and that Hong Kong is certainly the hub of all of this excitement.”

The highlight of the auction was undoubtedly the 1982 Latour Superlot (12 bottles, 6 magnums, 3 double magnums and 1 6L imperial), which sold for HK$786,500. Other highlights include a lot of Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1982, the 6-magnum lot fetched a total of HK$314,600, as well as a rare twenty-magnum (1.5 L) lot of 1998 Krug Clos du Mesnil, which fetched HK$290,400.

Zachys next auction will take place in Hong Kong June 13 2009, stay tuned for more details.

Sotheby’s first-ever single-owner wine auction in Asia has been hailed as ‘an outstanding success’.  The auction, which took place April 4 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, fetched a higher-than-expected HK$49.9 million.

The most expensive lot was a 6-liter bottle of 1961 Chateau Latour which went for HK$484,000. According to Serena Sutcliffe, head of Sotheby’s International Wine Department, Asian wine enthusiasts were ‘out in force’ for the sale, with the ten priciest lots being bought by Asian private collectors.

Patti Wong, chairman of Sotheby’s Asia, added that the success of the sale was a testament to the growing significance of Hong Kong as an auction hub in the Asian fine wine market.