A full case of 1985 DRC - Romanee-Conti sold at Christie's in New York on May 22 for a price of $237,000 (including the buyer's premium) making it the most expensive case of Burgundy wine ever sold at auction (according to Christie's).
The per-bottle price equates to $19,750 whereas the average auction price in 2007 before this sale was only $8,567 per bottle (based on 10 lots sold so far in 2007), a premium of 131% over the average. According to the auction catalog, Richard Brierley of Christie's is quoted as saying "never before have I seen such pristine cases of these great wines [1990 was also sold]." The wine was in its original wooden case and "stored in outstanding conditions."
The only higher prices for this wine occurred in 2006 when the wine was sourced from other impeccable collections: Russell H. Frye's and Park B. Smith's, both sold by Sothebys New York. Two 2-bottle lots from the Frye collection obtained per-bottle prices of $22,325 and $21,150, respectively, and one 6-bottle lot from the Smith collection obtained a per-bottle price of $19,917. The 2006 auction average for 32 lots sold (inclusive of these sales) was $8,708 per bottle (very close to the 2007 price level).
In case you're wondering, for wines of vintages 1961 or later, the 1985 Romanee Conti is the most expensive wine ever sold at auction (see Top 20 most expensive 750ml bottles sold at auction from November 15, 2006). In general, DRC's Romanee-Conti vineyard dominates the top average prices obtained at auction for red Burgundies (see Top 20 red Burgundies at auction in 2006) but the 1985's average price placed it at only #35 on this list (but with higher bottle counts sold).
If you own any DRC Romanee-Conti, please take steps to ensure it is stored in perfect conditions, both to maximize your future drinking pleasure and the option for you to sell it with a "provenance premium."
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