DALLAS, TX.- A 5-liter bottle of 1969 Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon sold Friday at Heritage Auctions for $64,575. That bottle was the top lot in
Heritages March 22 Fine & Rare Wine Signature® Auction, which realized a total of $2,489,183.
The 1969 Chappellet widely considered one of the greatest wines ever made in Napa Valley comes from the collection of Napa Valley restaurateur Alex Dierkhising, who bought the bottle in 1981 during the first Napa Valley Wine Auction. Dierkhising paid $6,000 for the bottle, which is one of only four 5-liter bottles produced by the winery and the only one sold to the public. The other three bottles were reserved for Chappellet family members.
This is not a rare bird. It might be the rarest of birds, says Frank Martell, Heritages Senior Director of Fine & Rare Wine.
The 5-liter bottle wasnt the only 1969 Chappellet to perform well Friday evening. Two magnums of the sought-after vintage realized $54,120, and a single bottle sold for $17,220.
Other highlights in the auction included three magnums of 1974 Heitz Marthas Vineyard that realized $34,440, two bottles of 1991 Leroy Musigny that sold for $25,830, two bottles of 1980 Cros Parantoux that realized $20,295, four bottles of 1962 Maison Leroy Richebourg that sold for $13,530, six bottles of 2020 Screaming Eagle that realized $12,915, six magnums of Mayacamas from 1978-1980 that sold for $11,685 and six bottles of 2000 Sine Qua Non Heels over Head that realized $10,762.