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Spectrum Wine Auctions Next Auction September 24 & 25 in Beverly Hills and Hong Kong

Auction Highlights Include Shipwrecked Madeira from the 1800s, Large Format Vertical Collections of Chateau Montelena Spanning 30 Years, and Several Full-Case Lots of Mouton, Lafite and Petrus


(August 30, 2010; IRVINE, CA) Spectrum Wine Auctions, Southern California’s leading auction house of fine and rare wine, will hold its first sale of the fall 2010 auction season on Friday, September 24 at 6 p.m. PDT at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., and Saturday, September 25 at 9:00 a.m. HKT at the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong. Highlights include some of the greatest vintages from benchmark producers in Bordeaux, Burgundy and California. The total pre-sale estimate for the 761 lots on offer is $3.2 million. Spectrum will also launch its “Autumn 2010 Internet Auction” on September 24 for those buyers looking for single bottles and wines not offered in the live auction.


“We’re thrilled to launch the fall season with some true rarities, including verticals in large formats—1.5L, 3L and 5L—of Chateau Montelena spanning 30 years, one bottle of the historic 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, and a very unique bottle of shipwrecked Madeira,” comments Spectrum Wine Auctions President Jason Boland.


The
Madeira bottle (est. $1200) was discovered off of the Savannah, Georgia coast by professional diver Bill Kinsey in the late 1970s. Truly a buried treasure the bottle for this auction was obtained from the private collector who first bought the only two bottles from the shipwreck in 1980 at The Heublein Premiere National Auction of Rare Wines XII. He tasted the first one on television and noted that it was fantastic and in perfect condition. In an article for Wine Spectator, James Suckling said, “The ocean floor may be as good as some of the world’s great cellars for aging premium wines.” In The Heublein auction catalog, diver Bill Kinsey says, “Apparently the bottles were spilled onto the ocean floor and quickly covered by this thick silt-mud material. This protected the corks from worms and water so they were virtually sealed in an airless environment all this time. This is a very rare and exciting find!” Bill Kinsey also logged on October 2nd 1979 at 12:30 PM: “Case of 1800 Madeira uncovered only two remain whole out of ten. Bottles are so perfect we stop work to admire them on deck.” The pristine preservation of this historic, one-of-a-kind bottle of drinkable wine is apparent in the remarkable fill level and capsule condition of the bottle.

Other highlights include:

  • 37 lots of Harlan Cabernet Sauvignon
  • 47 lots of Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Vertical of Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon 1984-2008 in magnum
  • Vertical of Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon 1977-2000 in 3L bottles
  • Vertical of Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon 1977-2000 in 5L bottles
  • One bottle of 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay (Judgment of Paris winner)
  • 12 bottles of 1961 Château Haut-BrionThree full cases of 1982 Château Lafite-Rothschild
  • Extremely rare 1971 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti case OWC
  • Château Petrus from 2006 to 1947, with many full cases and rare magnums including 1961, 1949, and 1947

Bidders are encouraged to attend in person and enjoy the excitement of the auction room as Amanda Keston, Spectrum Wine’s Director of Client Services, takes the gavel. Small bites and various wines will be offered throughout the session. Attendance is open to the public and is free of charge. Bidders may also take advantage of Spectrum Wine Auctions’ fully-integrated real-time bidding software system. In addition to secure transactions, the software links the simultaneous live auctions in Hong Kong and California, and allows for live streaming audio and video of the auction floor in California, bringing the auction experience in-house for online bidders around the world. Bids are also accepted via mail and fax before the sale, and arrangements may also be made for live phone bidding. For more information or to request a catalog, go to www.spectrumwine.com or call 949.748.4845.


Spectrum will also launch a special internet auction on September 24. The Autumn 2010 Internet Auction will run until September 30. Highlights of Spectrum’s internet wine auctions include single bottles and small quantities to full-case lots of First Growth Bordeaux (Lafite, Latour, Mouton, Margaux, Petrus, Haut-Brion, La Mission Haut Brion, Cheval Blanc, etc.); many second, third, fourth and fifth growths; California cult wines such as Harlan, Peter Michael, Araujo, Bryant Family, Caymus, Montelena, Heitz, etc.); and wines from other  areas of the world (Gaja, Biondi Santi Brunello di Montalcino il Greppo, Ornellaia, Sassicaia, Tignanello). Internet catalogs will be available as a supplement to the live auction catalog.


Upcoming Live Auction Calendar

December 10 CA/December 11 HK 2010


About Spectrum Wine Auctions

Launched in 2009, Spectrum Wine Auctions is the world’s newest live and online auction house of fine collectible wine.

Following in the grand tradition of its sister auction companies, Spectrum Wine Auctions is a subsidiary of Spectrum Group International, Inc. (SPGZ:PK), a consolidated global collectibles network. The company is a leading auctioneer of stamps, coins, arms, armor and militaria, and other memorabilia, targeting both collectors and dealers. Building a strong financial foundation, Spectrum Group International is also a merchant/dealer of certain collectibles and trader of precious metals. The company's collectibles offerings range from the modest to ultra high-end in value and span the globe. Spectrum Wine Auctions is the newest member of the elite Spectrum Group International family. Spectrum Wine Auctions also conducts bi-weekly online auctions through www.spectrumwine.com. The company offers competitive incentives for consignors, including 30-day payouts in full for all lots sold regardless as to whether the firm has collected from each buyer, and the ability to consign both highly-collectible and commonly found wines.

Backed by many decades of auction expertise and driven by a team of dedicated wine specialists and enthusiasts, Spectrum Wine Auctions is committed to offering buyers and sellers alike the most accessible and expansive auction opportunities of what is simply the greatest consumable and collectible product known to man—wine.

For more information on Spectrum Wine Auctions, please call at 949.748.4845 or visit www.spectrumwine.com.