DRC Romanee Conti 55-Bottle 'Superlot' Auctioned at Record-Breaking Price

By Monami Thakur | December 13 2011 4:29 AM

A Superlot comprising 55 bottles of 1952 vintage wine from DRC Romanee Conti was sold at a staggering price of $813,333 to a Chinese collector, setting new auction records.

Acker Merrall & Condit/handout

A Superlot comprising 55 bottles of 1952 vintage wine from DRC Romanee Conti was sold at a staggering price of $813,333 to a Chinese collector thereby setting new auction records.

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This is the highest price achieved for a single lot at any wine auction anywhere in the world this year, as well as the highest price ever for any lot of Romanee Conti sold at an auction.

The collection was among three other superlots that were sold at a recent Acker Merrall & Condit auction held in Hong Kong. The two-day auction, from Dec. 8-10, reportedly created a sensation among bidders, both through the internet and over the telephones.

The amazing result of this sale - starring three legendary and compelling superlots of verticals of Mouton Rothschild, Petrus and Romanee Conti - is a fitting roundup of another record-setting vintage for Acker in Hong Kong, stated John Kapon, CEO of Acker Merrall & Condit Companies.

The firm also mentions that it has become the first wine auction house to break the $100 million yearly mark in wine auction history.

Other highlights and superlots of the event were a 57-bottle lot of the Château Pétrus vintage collection which sold for $250,256 and a 1867 collection of Château Mouton Rothschild auctioned at $500,513.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the results tell the story of the past 12 months, with Bordeaux and particularly Château Lafite Rothschild losing their perch as Asia's favorites, to Burgundy's Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, which now reigns supreme among the region's top collectors and regularly achieves the highest prices.

The next Acker Merrall Hong Kong auction will be held on Jan. 13 and 14.