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Spectrum Wine Auctions’ Spring Auction Brings in Nearly $3.5 Million US

Aubrey McClendon Collection Part II and The Historic Collection of Dr. George Primbs

Attract Furious, Sustained Bidding throughout the Evening; World Record Set

 

Irvine, CA, April 27, 2010 – With a champagne toast and a pound of the hammer, Principal Auctioneer and Spectrum Wine Auctions’ Director of Client Services Amanda Keston kicked off Spectrum Wine Auctions’ second live auction last weekend, held simultaneously at Charlie Palmer Bloomingdale’s South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, California and Crown Wine Cellars in Hong Kong.  Before the auction was over, a world record was set, and an astonishing 858 lots and $3,475,260 million ($HKD 26,978,709) in fine and collectible wines had changed hands with nearly 100% of lots sold.

 

“We are tremendously gratified by the results of the Spring Auction,” enthused Greg Roberts, CEO of both Spectrum Wine Auctions and its parent company Spectrum Group International, a Fortune 500 company.   “The two anchor consignors gave us two truly impressive collections to offer buyers.  Combined with the sumptuous settings of Charlie Palmer’s restaurant and the Conservatory at Crown Wine Cellars in Hong Kong, this and the generally stronger market translated to strong sales of both individual lots and overall.”  Boisterous, capacity crowds gathered in the two live auction venues, and telephone and online bidders from around the world joined in the action.  In addition to wines bidders brought themselves, Spectrum sampled numerous wines and champagnes during the auction, including Mouton Rothschild 1983, Chateau Leoville Las Cases 1983 and Chateau Lynch-Bages 1985; 1996 Dom Perignon Brut Rose and a generous tasting from Napa Valley vintner David Johndrow’s JV Winery.

 

Case quantities of Burgundies and Bordeaux again claimed many of the top ranks in the auction, with the strongest showings coming from the leading French estates.   Lot 613, a full case of 1971 Domaine de la Romanée Conti Romanée Conti set a new world record—selling for an impressive $122,488.

 

The top highlight lots from Spectrum Wine Auctions’ Spring Live Auction included:

Lot

Description

Bottles/Format

 Estimate

 Realized*

613

Romanée-Conti 1971, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti

12 x 0.75L

 $120,000

 $122,488

28

Château Lafite Rothschild 1982

12 x 0.75L

$40,000

$50,788

70

Château Latour 1961 (100 pts.)

12 x 0.75L

$35,000

$43,020

260

Château La Mission Haut Brion 1961

1 x 4.5L

$20,000

$23,303

235

Château Haut-Brion 1961

12 x 0.75L

$16,000

$22,705

645

Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 1961

4 x 0.75L

$11,000

$20,614

21

Château Lafite Rothschild 1986 (99pts.)

12 x 0.75L

$15,000

$19,718

138

Château Mouton Rothschild 1982

12 x 0.75L

$17,000

$17,925

225

Château Haut-Brion 1989 (100 pts.)

12 x 0.75

$17,000

$17,925

9

Château Lafite Rothschild

12 x 0.75L

$13,000

$16,732

*All prices reflect 19.5% buyers’ premium added

 

The auction’s selection of 1982 Chateau Lafite Rothschild proved that Bordeaux retains enduring appeal for buyers, as did other memorable offerings including Lot 225 (a 1961 Château Petrus) and Lot 47 (a 2000 Château Latour), both at $16,730.  While the venerable Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and other Burgundies and Bordeaux claimed many of the highest realized prices, some other gems sparkled among the blue-chip sales.  The performance of Lot 645, the 1961 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chappelle, shows that smaller names can still pull big numbers.  Another example, Lot 685, six bottles of 1997 Gaja Gromis Conteisa Cerequio, sold for $1641, well above estimate, on the strength of its 98-point Robert Parker rating. Lot 710, a mixed lot of 2005 Sine Qua Non “17th Nail in My Cranium” and “The Naked Truth” (both 100-point wines), sold for 40% above estimate, realizing $3555; a 95-point lot of 2005 “Petition,” Sine Qua Non’s white blend, nearly doubled its estimate.  A sampling of lots that realized well over estimates included:

Lot

Description

Bottles/Format

Estimate

Realized*

36

Château Lafite Rothschild 1970

7 x 0.75L

$2,250

$5,972

51

Château Latour 1994

12 x 0.75L

$1,900

$4,780

43

Château Lafite Rothschild 1964

4 x 0.75L

$900

$2,988

150

Château Mouton Rothschild 1970’s

Assorted

$900

$2,689

40

Château Lafite Rothschild 1966

3 x 0.75L

$950

$2,390

37

Château Lafite Rothschild 1970

1 x 3.0L

$700

$2,032

24

Château Lafite Rothschild 1985

2 x 0.75L

$800

$2,032

346

Duhart Milon 1982

12 x 0.75L

$650

$1,673

38

Château Lafite Rothschild 1970

2 x 0.75L

$350

$1,315

751

Sine Qua Non 2000 assorted

4 x 0.75L

$350

$1,315

718

Sine Qua Non Petition 2005

8 x 0.75L

$250

$1,076

*All prices reflect 19.5% buyers’ premium added

 

 “The setting and service of Charlie Palmer’s restaurant set a new stage for the California auction,” noted Keston, who put in a terrifically entertaining, nearly ten-hour session at the hammer in California.  “Along with great wine, our clients were treated to a stunning array of small bites throughout the evening, finishing with champagne and cookie plates until the wee hours of the morning."

 

Full auction results for each lot are available from the Spectrum Wine Auctions web site: www.spectrumwine.com. The Company will keep an archive of all the photos of the lots (including the unique 360-degree photos that represented many of the 858 lots) and prices realized on the site indefinitely.

 

With the year’s first live auction just completed, Spectrum Wine Auctions is already turning its attention towards the future.  They have scheduled their Summer Auction for June 25 in California and June 26 in Hong Kong.  In the meantime, they conduct about two online auctions each month.  The next online auction commences April 29th.

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Spectrum Wine Auctions welcomes enquiries from consignors and collectors.  Please contact Amanda Keston at 888.982.1982 for additional information and questions.

 

About Spectrum Wine Auctions:

Spectrum Wine Auctions, based in Irvine, Calif., delivers a worldwide buying, selling and appraisal venue for collectors of rare and fine vintage wines. Live and online wine auctions span the globe and offer bidders and consignors alike the opportunity to collect and sell their favorite wines of the world with confidence and ease. Spectrum Wine Auctions is a division of Spectrum Group International, Inc., which includes first-class auction houses in numismatics, philately, and fine arms and militaria, as well as trading and financing on a wide array of collectibles, including coins, precious metals and currency, bullion, and guns and militaria.

 

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