A wine collection sold for $21.9m (£14.9m) at Sotheby’s New York Cellar of William I Koch auction on May 19-21.
With 100% lots sold over the three days, the sale saw buyers from 23 countries placing over 20,000 bids for 2,729 lots of fine wines, setting a new record for wines sold at auction.
Commenting on the success, Koch said: “Collecting and enjoying wine has been one of the great joys and loves of my life. It is very gratifying to see so many people from around the world that share my passion.”
Selling to a private American collector was the highlight of the sale, 10 bottles of Château Mouton Rothschild, 1945, which fetched $343,000 (£235,254) against an estimate of $80,000-120,000. Six magnums of Vosne Romanée, Cros Parantoux, Henri Jayer, 1989, were knocked down at $171,500, (£117,627) and 12 bottles of Montrachet, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, 1978, fetched $147,000 (£109,225).
Jamie Ritchie, CEO and president, Sotheby’s Wine, Asia and Americas, added: “The record-setting sale has redefined the wine auction landscape. The exceptional provenance and condition of the wines matched the scale and ambition of his collection, which perfectly reflects the character of the man that put it together, without doubt one of the world’s greatest collectors. This sale sets a new benchmark for the industry.”
