HDH’s April Fine & Rare Auction Surpasses High Estimate at $5.84M & 100% Sold

Hart Davis Hart’s April Auction of Fine and Rare Wines soared past the pre-sale estimates, achieving $5,842,020.40 and continuing HDH’s trend of record-breaking auctions with spectacular results. The April auction is the fifth consecutive HDH sale where the overall hammer price exceeded the mid-point of the estimate range – even while estimates have increased steadily during the same six-month period. 1082 bidders from around the world purchased 100% of the 4250 lots offered, with viewing parties in three separate markets competing with absentee and live bidders. The auction took place live on Wednesday, April 8th, Thursday, April 9th and Friday, April 10th.

A world record price for 6 bottles of 2009 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Château Rayas led the list of top lots, selling for $14,340 (Lot 1399, est. $6,500-9,500). World records were also logged for a single bottle of 2021 La Tâche, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti which fetched $5,975 (lot 163, est. $3,200-4,800) and a magnum of 1990 Dom Pérignon Brut, P3 Vintage which tied HDH’s previous record at $6,573 (lot 770, est. $3,800-5,500).

The top ten lots were (*Denotes world record):

Lot 1399	2009 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Château Rayas (6bs)	$6,500-9,500	$14,340*
Lot 2982	1996 Château Margaux (6mags)	$6,000-9,000	$10,755
Lot 93	1996 Chablis, Valmur, Domaine Raveneau (11bs)	$8,000-12,000	$10,755
Lot 255	2000 Château Ausone (12bs OWC)	$6,000-9,000	$8,963
Lot 3263	2004 Romanée-St-Vivant, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (3bs)	$4,800-7,500	$7,786
Lot 319	1990 Château Haut-Brion (6bs)	$3,500-5,500	$7,170
Lot 769	1988 Dom Pérignon Brut, P3 Vintage (2bs)	$4,000-6,000	$7,170
Lot 343	2015 Château Lafite Rothschild (12bs OWC)	$4,800-7,500	$7,170
Lot 676	2003 Ermitage, Cuvée Cathelin, Jean-Louis Chave (1b)	$4.800-7,500	$7,170
Lot 1408	2005 Château Mouton Rothschild (12bs OWC)	$5,000-7,500	$7,170

A through-line of the fine wine secondary market lately has been the resurgence of red Bordeaux, and this trend continued in the April auction led by The Cellar of a Distinguished Bordeaux Collector in Wednesday’s session at lots 242-563.

Top Bordeaux results included:

Lot 96	1986 Château Mouton Rothschild (5bs)	$2,400-3,500	$4,541
Lot 365	1989 Château Lynch-Bages (12bs)	$3,000-4,500	$5,976
Lot 325	2015 Château Haut-Brion (12bs OWC)	$3,500-5,500	$5,736
Lot 330	1988 Château Lafite Rothschild (1imp 6L)	$3,200-4,800	$5,975
Lot 332	1990 Château Lafite Rothschild (6bs)	$3,000-4,500	$5,019
Lot 372	1990 Château Margaux (6bs)	$3,800-5,500	$5,975
Lot 385	1975 Château La Mission Haut-Brion (3bs)	$1,600-2,400	$4,541
Lot 386	1989 Château La Mission Haut-Brion (3bs)	$2,800-4,200	$5,019
Lot 2998	1980 Château Pétrus (1mag)	$2,000-3,000	$4,780*

Champagne was among the highest performing categories of the auction, hammering just shy of the high estimate on average (147.3% of low estimate):

Lot 209	1985 Krug, Brut (3bs)	$1,700-2,600	$3,585
Lot 207	1985 Dom Pérignon Brut Vintage (5 bs)	$1,600-2,400	$3,346
Lot 210	1988 Krug, Brut (2bs)	$1,000-1,500	$2,032
Lot 211	1988 Salon (2bs)	$2,400-3,500	$5,019
Lot 741	1973 Salon (1b)	$1,800-2,800	$3,346
Lot 884	2002 Jacques Selosse, Millésime (1b)	$1,000-1,500	$1,912
Lot 2095	1990 Veuve Clicquot, Cave Privée (1jero OWC)	$420-650	$956
Lot 2097	2012 Pierre Péters, Cuvée Spéciale, Les Chetillons, Blanc de Blancs Brut (6bs OC)	$1,000-1,500	$2,151
Lot 2329	1988 Deutz, Brut, Cuvée William Deutz (7bs)	$1,100-1,700	$2,151*
Lot 2396	NV Billecart-Salmon, Brut Rosé (5bs & 6mags)	$750-1,100	$1,673
Lot 2668	2015 Pierre Péters, Cuvée Spéciale, Les Chetillons, Blanc de Blancs Brut (1jero OWC)	$600-900	$1,315*
Lot 2681	2019 Champagne Savart, Haute Couture (3mags OC)	$650-950	$1,554*
Lot 4068	2010 Vilmart & Cie, Grand Cellier d’Or (12bs OC)	$750-1,100	$1,673*

Underscoring the comprehensive nature of HDH’s Fine and Rare series, categories less frequently appearing at auctions greatly exceeded their pre-sale estimates.

Category	Number of Lots	Hammer % to Low Estimate
German	23	155.8%
California Chardonnay	125	145.7%
Spanish Red	72	143.7%
Madeira	16	138.8%
California Pinot Noir	77	136.4%
White Loire	18	136.2%

For the second auction in a row, the wine receiving the most absentee bids was 2010 Rioja Gran Reserva Especial, Castillo Ygay, Marques de Murrieta (lot 2125, 6 bottles, est. $700-1,000). Twenty-seven pre-sale bids were recorded, with additional live bidders driving up the final price to $1,793.

Other noteworthy Spanish reds included:

Lot 745	1990 Unico, Bodegas Vega Sicilia (2bs)	$750-1100	$1,315
Lot 853	1987 Unico, Bodegas Vega Sicilia (4bs)	$1,300-1,900	$2,271
Lot 813	2015 La Faraona Descendientes de J. Palacios S.L. (3bs OWC)	$1,100-1,700	$2,390*
Lot 1405	2018 Pingus, Dominio de Pingus (6bs OWC)	$3,200-4,800	$5,378
Lot 2126	2015 Viña el Pison Viñedos Lacalle y Laorden (Artadi) (12 bs)	$900-1,400	$2,151*
Lot 2128	2020 Clos Erasmus Clos Erasmus S.L. (12bs OWC)	$1,200-1,800	$2,629
Lot 2569	1994 Unico Bodegas Vega Sicilia (1b)	$400-600	$837
Lot 3164	2005 Clos Erasmus Clos Erasmus S.L. (6bs OWC)	$1,700-2,600	$3,107
Lot 3165	2009 Clos Erasmus Clos Erasmus S.L. (12bs OWC)	$1,500-2,200	$2,868*
Lot 3570	1994 Rioja, Torre Muga Bodegas Muga (9bs)	$450-650	$1,434*

Sale stats: Percent sold by lot: 100% | Total Aggregate: $5,842,020.40
Low Pre-Sale Estimate:  $3,766,260 | High Pre-Sale Estimate: $5,639,510

To view the full auction results, click here.

Hart Davis Hart’s next auctions include A Celebration of Burgundy featuring The Collection of Don Cornwell and The Orion Collection on May 14th and 15th, and An Auction of Finest and Rarest Wines on June 25th and 26th. To inquire about consigning with global auction leader Hart Davis Hart and capitalizing on this extremely strong market, email consignments@hdhauctions.com or upload a list directly to hdhauctions.com to request a complimentary appraisal.
About Hart Davis Hart Auction Co.
HDH, the top wine auction house in the U.S. and a leading online retailer, specializes in rare wines. Founded in 2004 by industry veterans Paul Hart and Michael Davis, HDH offers expert service for buying and selling fine wines. The company is known for its advanced online bidding platform launched in 2015, enabling bids from anywhere in the world.