2000 Chateau Ausone wine leads Christie's auction at $15,000
A case of Chateau Ausone's 2000 vintage topped the wine sale, with Margaux following
Twelve bottles of the 2000 vintage from Chateau Ausone provided the top lot in Christie's London auction of Fine and Rare Wines on October 18.
Only four wines in Saint-Emilion are ranked Premier Grand Cru Classe
Alain Vaulthier, managing director at the Bordeaux vineyard, described the 2000 as his "dream vintage", according to Christie's.The auction house's experts, who tasted the Saint-Emilion wine in 2001 and 2005,have calledit "immensely impressive" and "a superb Ausone".
Despite this, the case only just topped its low estimate of 9,000 ($14,517), selling for 9,200 ($14,830). However, it still managed to secure the title of top lot, selling far ahead of the Chateaux Margaux that provided its nearest competitor in the sale.
The 12-bottle case of the 1990 Margaux sold towards the high end of its 6,000-7,500 ($9,678-12,098) estimate at 7,475 ($11,989). The lot was one of 38 to have been consigned by a private European collector, featuring the most prestigious Bordeaux vintages.
Also featuring was a collection of Domaine J L Chave's Hermitage wines, which was 100% sold and led by a case of the classic 1990 vintage, which brought 4,800 ($7,700) and a 20% increase on its high estimate of 4,000. Christie's said of Hermitage: "Domaine Chave's Hermitage wines are to the Rhone Valley what Ridge Montebello is to California or Chateau Lafleur to Pomerol."
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