Sotheby’s will stage two historic French auctions from the cellar of Chinese billionaire Pierre Chen in June and July, estimated to fetch US$3.5 million, following the success of his frist tranche of Atlas of Wine sale in Hong Kong last November that realized US$16.8 million.
On 20 June, in Paris, Sotheby’s will stage “The Ultimate Champagnes” – the first ever auction devoted exclusively to Champagne. The sale – comprising a treasure trove of the greatest Champagnes ever produced from vintages of the 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s – will also mark the first time Sotheby’s has staged a live wine auction in the French capital.
On 2 July, the spotlight will shift to Burgundy for a unique event at the exclusive Couvent des Cordeliers in Beaune. Featuring the crème de la crème of Burgundy wines, “Live in the Vines” will be the first singleowner wine auction to be staged in a region famed for its Grand Cru vineyards.
Together, over 3,000 meticulously curated bottles of Champagne and Burgundy will be on offer.
“If anyone understands how fine Champagnes are a fantastic vinous pairing with food, it is Pierre. So often relegated to the role of being popped at celebrations, Champagne is gloriously complex and multi-faceted, with nuances and individual characteristics to match the finest Bordeaux and Burgundy. The mosaic of house styles mixed with vintage identity offers such intellectual and sensual pleasures, it comes as no surprise that Pierre’s cellar is richly stocked with an incredible depth of the most iconic Champagnes produced several decades ago. It’s rare to see such wines, even in small volumes, at auction, let alone for them to make up an entire sale,” says George Lacey, Head of Sotheby’s Wine Asia.
Assembled over some forty years, Chen’s collections of both wine and art rank among the greatest in the world. While the 25,000 bottles to be sold from “The Epicurean’s Atlas” represent just a fraction of Chen’s vast collection, their sale nonetheless represents “a defining moment for the market at a time when interest in, and demand for, wine is at an all-time high”, says Sotheby’s.
Later this year, the auciton house will offer more lots from the collector’s esteemed cellar and stage two more sales in New York inSeptember and Hong Kong in November.
The series of sale are estimated to make around US$50 million – making this by far the most valuable wine collection ever to come to the market.
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