Christie’s said the auction on 6 and 7 June will feature some of the greatest and rarest bottles ever produced, and has named the sale, ‘A Legacy Preserved: The Last Treasures from The Avery Wine Collection’.
Bottles in the collection were acquired by different generations of the Avery family that is behind historic Bristol-based wine merchant Averys, founded in 1793.
Rare wines in the upcoming sale are set to include a single bottle of Château d’Yquem 1921 (estimate: £2,000 – £4,000).
Yquem 1921 is a Decanter Wine Legend and a contender for the greatest 20th century vintage from this famous Sauternes estate.
Other lots in the upcoming sale include:
- 12 bottles of Château Lafleur 1971 | estimate £10,000 – £15,0000
- one bottle of Romanee-Conti 1969 | £6,000 – £10,000
- one bottle of Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Françaises 1969 | £2,000 – £4,000
- one bottle of Inglenook Cask J 3 Cabernet Sauvignon 1954 | £1,000 – £2,000
- one bottle of Champagne Salon 1971 | £2,000 – £4,000
‘One of the world’s greatest wine collections’
‘We are delighted to partner with the Avery family to present the final offering from this iconic collection,’ said Chris Munro, head of wine and spirits at Christie’s Americas, and Adam Bilbey, global head of wine and spirits at Christie’s.
‘This is truly one of the world’s greatest wine collections, assembled with precognitive knowledge by one of the wine trade’s foremost families. [It’s] an encyclopaedic collection featuring esteemed Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and New World wines.’
Provenance is a major factor on the secondary market. Christie’s said wines in the Avery family collection cover two centuries of winemaking and were bought or imported on release, before being stored in purpose-built, stone cellars.
‘Many of these wines, with this provenance, will never come to auction again,’ the auction house said.
Family member Richard Avery said, ‘It is with great pleasure that my sisters and I are able to partner up with the team at Christie’s for this final sale of our family wine library.
‘For over a century my father, grandfather (and maybe even a couple from great grandfather Joseph) have discovered and amassed this incredible collection of truly global wines. Throughout our lives these wines have been shared with enthusiasts and producers alike from all around the world.
‘But these wines have now outlived two generations and it would be a disservice to the incredible winemakers to push it to a third. Instead, we want to release them back into the wild for the next generation of enthusiasts and producers to enjoy and be inspired by.
‘It has been a huge privilege to briefly curate what must be a truly unique cellar. Nunc est Bibendum [now it is time to drink].’
Christie’s added that the sale represents a sequel to a 2016 auction of wines from the Avery family’s collection. Total sales in that auction topped £2.1m, including buyer’s premium, as reported by Decanter at the time.
