HONG KONG.- A new record for a private wine collection sold at auction was set in Hong Kong today, when a three-day sale of Tran-scend-ent Wines concluded with a grand total of HK$233,582,518 / US$29,756,077, far surpassing its pre-sale low estimate of HK$147 million / US$19 million, and with 98% of lots sold.

Jamie Ritchie, Worldwide Head of Sotheby’s Wine, commented: “Transcendent Wines was aptly named, setting the record for the highest value private wine collection ever sold at auction at US$30 million, beating the total achieved at Sotheby’s in 2016 for the William I Koch sale. This result continues our record-setting trend and marks a significant moment in the history of wine auctions, presenting a new benchmark in the wine industry. The scale, quality and value of this collection is totally unprecedented, and the superb result is a fitting outcome, as collectors continue to compete for the world’s greatest wines. To present the most important single-cellar collections at auction is to quench the insatiable thirst of today’s enlightened collectors who are buying to open and enjoy the bottles, a sentiment very much in tune with the man who put together this outstanding collection.”

Adam Bilbey, Head of Sotheby’s Wine, Asia, said: “These results reinforce the fact that Hong Kong is the most important wine auction sales destination in the world. Collectors’ thirst for an increasing variety of wines demonstrates a broadening of the market and ever-diversifying tastes.”

The sale was led by Romanée Conti 1990 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, with three 12-bottle lots selling for HK$2,728,000 / US$347,520 each; a 12-bottle lot of DRC’s Romanée-Conti 1985 achieving HK$2,356,000 / US$300,131; and three 12-bottle lots of Mouton Rothschild 1945 bringing HK$1,984,000 / US$252,742 each.

The highest-estimated wine auction in history, Tran-scend-ent Wines was the most significant single-owner wine sale ever held and brought to the market in unprecedented breadth and depth some of the greatest names in the wine world. Featuring the finest producers from Burgundy, Champagne, Rhône, Bordeaux and Italy, the sale included 250+ lots of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, 600+ lots of Domaine Coche-Dury, 350+ lots of Dom Pérignon, and 140+ lots of Domaine Guigal. A surge in demand for wines from Burgundy has seen Domaine de la Romanée-Conti reign supreme, leading Sotheby’s Wine’s Annual Market Report as Top Producer every year since the company began its annual rankings in 2013.