Zachys' Direct From Cellar Auction With Château Lafite-Rothschild Sets Unprecedented World Records

NEW YORK, April 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- On Saturday March 30^th, Zachys held a one-of-a-kind auction of direct from cellar wines from Domaines Barons Rothschild (Lafite) and included Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château l'Evangile, Château Duhart-Milon and Château Rieussec which yielded unprecedented and record-breaking results. The 691 lots auctioned comprised of 3384 bottles, representing the largest collection of single-owner, Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) ever to be auctioned.

213 of the lots set World Records with 100% of the auction being sold. The sale to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Rothschild family purchase of the estate realized $7,866,456 in sales, more than double the pre-auction estimate.

The top 5 World Record-breaking lots in the auction, which was held at Le Bernardin Prive include:

• One imperial 1959 Lafite (Estimate: $46,000-$70,000; Price: $160,550)
• One bottle 1868 Lafite, including a dinner at Château Lafite Rothschild (Estimate: $13,000-$20,000; Price: $123,500)
• One magnum 1869 Lafite (Estimate: $34,000-$50,000; Price: $123,500)
• One double-magnum 1959 Lafite (Estimate: $15,000-$22,000; Price: $92,625)
• One bottle 1898 Lafite (Estimate: $6,000-$9,000; Price: $86,450)

The auction room was packed with over 100 people from the Americas, Asia and Europe, competing for wines dating back to 1868, the year the Rothschild family purchased the Château competing for lots of all sizes.

Ten of the eleven 19^th-century lots set WORLD RECORDS cumulatively selling for $707,655 for just nine liters, or one case combined, of wine.

Of the sale, Jeff Zacharia, President of Zachys Wine Auction says, "I couldn't be happier with the results of our Lafite auction! From the hundreds of world records, to the truly international bidding, no one can disagree that the Bordeaux market is exceptional, strong and growing. Working with Lafite these past few months has been a highlight of my career, and being able to take the rostrum and set 213 world records in just over 5 hours is something I'll never forget."

A full 56% of the auction sold to American bidders, with 13% selling to China and Hong Kong, and the other 15% to Europe (by lot) proving that the market for Lafite is truly global, and that buyers in American and Europe were energized by the pursuit of rarities.

In total, the winning bidders represented 14 countries.

About Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite)
Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) have based their development in the crafts of the vine and of wine. Around Château Lafite Rothschild, the Group has grown with the successive acquisition of Château Duhart-Milon (Grand Cru Classé in Pauillac), Château Rieussec (Premier Grand Cru Classé in Sauternes) and Château L'Évangile (Pomerol).

For more information: www.lafite.com

About Zachys Wine Auctions
Founded over 70 years ago, Zachys is a third generation fine wine business. It is one of the largest independent wine auction houses and retailers in America with offices in New York, Washington, D.C., Hong Kong, and dedicated wine specialists in mainland China, Tokyo, London, and Paris. CEO Don Zacharia played a major role in creating the fine wine auction marketplace in America. Today, Zachys has established itself as the nation's largest and most powerful retailer and auctioneer of fine Bordeaux, Burgundy and beyond. For more information visit www.zachys.com/auctions.

SOURCE Zachys