American Friends of Cité du Vin Raise Over $300,000 at Sotheby's Benefit Auction & Dinner to Support Naming of Thomas Jefferson Auditorium

Guests at the prestigious event bid on a range of unique Bordeaux experiences generously donated by top Châteaux. The "Petrus Experience" which featured an Imperial (6 liters) of 1995 Petrus and lunch for 2 at the Moueix family home prepared by 3-star chef Michel Guérard, reached $40,000 after exceptionally keen bidding. Other exceptional results included The Château Mouton Rothschild experience which fetched $38,000 and the Château d'Yquem Experience which realized $26,000. The lots offered by Domaine Clarence Dillon sold for a combined value of $41,000.

George P. Sape, President of the American Friends of Cité du Vin, commented: "Last week's auction at Sotheby's to benefit the Thomas Jefferson Auditorium at the Cité du Vin was a brilliant evening. It succeeded in raising more than $300,000 for the support of the auditorium, which is the focus of the American Friends of the Cité. The American Friends are the first group outside of France to support the Cité. The naming of the auditorium was designed to highlight the importance of the French-American alliance on many levels, including wine, which Jefferson was instrumental in introducing to the U.S. during his time as our Ambassador to France. To the American Friends the auditorium represents the future site of presentations that will highlight all of the different aspects of wine – cultural, artistic, scientific, and societal – a vision that Jefferson would have appreciated."

Prince Robert of Luxembourg added: "An extraordinary night celebrating the June 1st impending opening of the Cité du Vin and thereby the global cultures and civilizations of wine! The generosity of our lot donors and the enthusiastic bidding of our guests underlined the continued ties between France and the United States while also underscoring the firm commitment of our American Friends in honoring a sizeable donation made to ensure the naming of the Thomas Jefferson Auditorium."

The Board of AFCCV would like to seize this opportunity to thank again the Lot donors for their generous support with their unique offerings.

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SOURCE AFCCV - American Friends of Cite du Vin