Sotheby’s Hong Kong sale of Cheval Blanc, Yquem and Dom Pérignon: Treasures Direct from the Cellars held at the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong on 21 May 2010 realised an exceptional total of HK$20,664,383/US$2,647,934, well in excess of the pre-sale high estimate (HK$14,447,000/US$1,851,239) and continued Sotheby’s 100% sold record for wine sales in Hong Kong. 90% of the lots that were sold achieved prices that were in excess of their pre-sale high estimates.

The top-selling lot was a vertical of Dom Pérignon Rosé OEnothèque, a world première release from their reserve cellar, achieved HK$1,331,000/US$170,554 that set the world auction record for a single lot of champagne and is the first HK$1 million lot of wine Sotheby’s has sold in Hong Kong.

The sale also achieved various records for Cheval Blanc of different vintages and formats (see top ten list for details). The sale included 330 lots of exceptional wines direct from the cellars of Château Cheval Blanc, Château d’Yquem and Dom Pérignon. Prior to being shipped to Hong Kong, none of these wines have previously left the cellars in which they were placed immediately after being made.

The 6-hour auction saw many new and existing buyers competing from throughout Asia. Online bidders competed for 80% of the lots offered.

Serena Sutcliffe, MW, Head of Sotheby’s International Wine Department, commented after the sale, “Sotheby's is honoured to have been entrusted by three of the most prestigious wine producers in the world - Château Cheval Blanc, Château d’Yquem and Dom Pérignon - to offer this amazing range of wines direct from their cellars. We were thrilled to be able to bring to Asian collectors three of France’s most mythical wines in such a fabulous range of vintages - the rarity of the old wines combined with the exclusive, since the Dom Pérignon Rosé OEnothèque selection was a world première. This was a stunning result and a reflection of the absolute quality of the wines themselves. We now look forward to the sale tomorrow, bringing Seven Stellar Cellars to Hong Kong, the heart of Asia.”

Pierre Lurton, General Manager of Château Cheval Blanc & CEO of Château d’Yquem said, “I was truly delighted by the superb results of this unique auction of historic vintages of Cheval Blanc and Yquem, including the incredible Three Century Vertical. Sotheby's shares our standards of excellence and it was a real pleasure to work with them on this exciting project. The wines will now reach an ever wider audience in Asia and they all show extraordinary freshness and beauty due to their direct-from-the-château provenance.”

Richard GeoffroRichard Geoffroy, Chef de Cave, Dom Pérignon said, “Pierre Lurton and Serena Sutcliffe MW from Sotheby’s International Wines have organised a sensational sale of Châteaux Cheval Blanc and d’Yquem and they asked Dom Pérignon to join this “Treasures Direct From the Cellars” auction. I think this is a truly significant union of these three important cellars and this auction is a world première.

“I have known Serena - a world class wine expert and a fantastic ambassador for Champagne - for more than 20 years and we are all really excited that the Dom Pérignon Rosé OEnothèque vertical achieved such a world-shattering price.”

During the sale, Imperials of Petit Cheval 2001 & 1998, Cheval Blanc 1997, Yquem 1997 as well as Dom Pérignon Rosé 2000 and Moët & Chandon 2003 were served.