New York: Sotheby's organizes "exceptional" Château Margaux auctions

This fall, Sotheby's will organize an “exceptional” auction of Château Margaux wines in New York. This will be the first time that a significant sale has offered wines directly from the cellars of this estate.

It will take place on October 17 and will offer 239 lots estimated between 1 and 1.4 million dollars (between 918,000 and 1,286,000 euros), including bottles from the famous 1900 and 1945 vintages, as well as a vertical for the period starting in 1978 when the Mentzelopoulos family was at the head of the estate.

Title Château Margaux 1900-2010 – Direct from the Cellars: A Celebration of the Mentzelopoulos Era (“Château Margaux 1900-2010 – Direct sale: A celebration of the Mentzelopoulos era”), the sale will also offer a special charity prize: a visit to the château for eight people.

The lucky winners will be able to enjoy a detailed visit of the cellars, a tasting and a lunch or dinner, accompanied by Corinne Mentzelopoulos and/or Paul Pontallier, the general manager of Margaux.

Mentzelopoulos said: “Any hint of sadness I feel at seeing these bottles leave our cellars is overshadowed by the joy of knowing they will be enjoyed by Sotheby's passionate and discerning patrons. »

"This is truly a historic sale, which will probably only happen once in a lifetime," said Jamie Ritchie, CEO of Sotheby's wine department for America and Asia. "It offers a comprehensive overview of the Mentzelopoulos era from 1978 to the present day, with a retrospective of the great vintages dating back to 1900."

The featured lots of the sale will be:

• A bottle of Margaux 1900 (estimated between 10,000 and 15,000 $, i.e. between €9,100 and €13,800)
• A bottle of Margaux 1945 (estimated between 3,000 and 4,000 $, i.e. between €2,700 and 3,700)
• A bottle of Margaux 1953 (estimated at between 2,000 and 2,800 $, i.e. between €1,800 and 2,600)
• Verticals of 10 bottles and magnums covering the 2000s, 1990s and 1980s
• Verticals of 35 bottles and magnums covering the Mentzelopoulos era (1978-2012)

Richard Woodard

July 10

Decanter