Geneva – Following the success of the May sale, Christie’s upcoming Finest and Rarest Wine auction in Geneva this November will present a total of 814 lots, including a superb section of champagnes, led by rare vintages from Krug, Dom Pérignon, Bollinger and Selosse in different bottlings. An impressive private collection of over 250 bottles of Domaine Coche-Dury, will highlight the white wine section. The Domaine is based in Meursault in the Côte de Beaune wine region of Burgundy. The Domaine was established in the 1920s by Léon Coche and today cultivates around 9 hectares of vineyards, producing approximately 3,500 cases of estate bottled wine each year, depending on the vintage conditions. Estimates for this Domaine range from CHF 20,000 to 1,200.

The sale will follow the results achieved in May which realised a total of CHF 4.4 million, the highest total in 4 years. Over this period, Christie’s wine sales have attracted an increasingly international audience, as witnessed in the May sale which saw participants from 25 countries, along with strong online bidding in which 45% of all 702 lots offered in May attracted online participation. The Swiss Rare Wine market is active and vibrant, and Christie’s plays a significant role in developing this market, including attracting growing numbers of private buyers, which has already seen an increase in over 45%.

Pétrus 1989

1 imperial CHF45,000 – 50,000

The Château Pétrus estate is located in the Pomerol appellation near its eastern border to Saint-Émilion. A small estate of just 11.4 hectares (28 acres), it produces a red wine entirely from Merlot grapes (since the end of 2010) and produces no second wine. The estate belongs to Jean-François Moueix and his children.Petrus is probably the most famous, the most iconic and the most prestigious wine in the world. With the benefit of an excellent vintage, decades of maturity and multiple perfect scores from the influential Parker, the 1989 is the one to own. Mature, perfectly scored, Petrus from an excellent vintage; this may very well be the world’s most desirable winePetrus is probably the most famous, the most iconic and the most prestigious wine in the world. With the benefit of an excellent vintage, decades of maturity and multiple perfect scores from the influential Parker, the 1989 is the one to own. Mature, perfectly scored, Petrus from an excellent vintage; this may very well be the world’s most desirable wine Pétrus is arguably the most famous, the most iconic and the most prestigious wine in the world. With the benefit of an excellent vintage, decades of maturity and 100 points score by the influential Robert M. Parker, the 1989 is one of the holy grails of wine collecting. On top of its vintage year, lot 135, is an imperial of 6 liters, of which only very few are in existence and therefore rarely seen on the market (estimate: CHF50,000-60,000). Alongside the 1989, the auction will offer an imperial of Petrus 1990 from the same cellar. The 1990 wine also received a perfect 100 point score from Robert M. Parker, the founder of The Wine Advocate (estimate: CHF 45,000-50,000).

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, La Tâche 1969

12 bottles CHF 20,000 – 28,000

In original wooden case of 12 bottles.

This lot was bought at Christie’s in the seventies and well cellared by the original buyer ever since. The 1969 is one of the classic great La Tâche vintages to own. This vintage is very rare these days, let alone in a full original wooden case. Michael Broadbent Master of Wine, gave this wine his maximum 5-star rating, adding “perfection” to his tasting note. 

In 1232, the Abbey of Saint Vivant in Vosne acquired 1.8 hectares of vineyard. In 1631 it was bought by the de Croonembourg family, who renamed it Romanée for reasons unknown. At the same time, they acquired the adjacent vineyard of La Tâche. In 1760, André de Croonembourg decided to sell the domaine and it became the subject of a bidding war between Madame de Pompadour, mistress of Louis XV, and her bitter enemy Louis François de Conti. The prince won, paying the massive sum of 8000 livres, and the vineyard became known as Romanée-Conti. During the French Revolution, the prince's land was seized and auctioned off. In 1869 it was bought by Jacques-Marie Duvault-Blochet, who went on to build the Domaine we know today with the acquisition of the holdings in Échezeaux, Grands Échezeaux and Richebourg.

Domaine Coche Dury, Corton-Charlemagne 2009

6 bottles CHF 18,000 – 22,000

This lot is part of an excellent collection of an almost unprecedented diversity of Coche-Dury wines. All wines were bought directly from the estate and stored in the owners’ cellar in France. The 2009 Corton-Charlemagne represents the most exclusive of this fine Domaine. The Domaine was established in the 1920s by Léon Coche and cultivates today around 9 hectares of vineyards and produces around 3,500 cases of estate bottled wine each year, depending on the vintage conditions.

Krug Clos d’ Ambonnay 1995

6 bottles CHF 9,500 – 12,000

In original luxury wooden case of six bottles

Krug Champagne was founded by Joseph Krug in 1843 and is based principally in Reims. Krug produces mainly Krug Grande Cuvée, supplemented by a non-vintage rosé, a vintage blanc, a vintage blanc de noirs from the Clos d'Ambonnay and older vintages released as Krug Collection series.

Krug Clos d'Ambonnay also comes from a single year, and its grapes from a single 0.68-hectare walled plot of Pinot noir in the heart of Ambonnay, another village in France's Champagne region that plays a key role in Champagne making. Bottles are aged for over twelve years in Krug's cellars and are relatively rare due to the small size of the vineyard. This lot is part of an exceptional collection of fine Champagne and is from the ultra-rare first vintage of Clos d’ Ambonnay 1995, of which only 3,000 bottles were released of this 100% Pinot Noir.

Château d’Yquem 1944

4 bottles CHF 5,000 – 7,000

A rare wartime Yquem, which is often called the lady harvest as most of the men were away at the front. These bottles have been recently removed from an old Dutch castle, where they have been cellared ever since their release. Excellent natural cellar conditions have ensured perfect levels. Château d’Yquem is often described as the greatest sweet wine in the world. After centuries of family ownership, it has been sold in 1999 but its former owner, Alexandra de Lur-Saluce remained director.

Yquem is located on the highest hill in Sauternes and enjoys the best growing conditions in the whole appellation. The 110-hectare vineyard is planted with 80% Sémillion and 20% Sauvignon Blanc. Only fully botrytized fruit is picked by the 150 highly skilled pickers and yields are so low that each vine produces only one glass of wine.

Auction Date: Sunday 11 November 2018 at 10.00am & 2.30pm

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