A jeroboam of 1805 Grande Fine Champagne Cognac has starred at a sale of ancient cognacs from the cellars of famed Parisian restaurant La Tour d'Argent.
The 2.5 litre cognac sold for £25,300 ($40,708) on the first day of Christie's Finest & Rarest Wines & Spirits auction in London, which ran from December 13-14.
 180 bottles from La Tour d'Argent's 400,000-strong cellar auctioned |
Bottled at the restaurant 207 years ago, it beat its £15,000 ($24,027) estimate by 68.6%, a testament both to the appeal of the La Tour d'Argent name as well as the attraction of owning a cognac of such age.
La Tour d'Argent, which is believed to have been founded in 1582, has a continually-guarded 400,000-strong selection of bottles, featuring 14,000 different labels.
An identical jeroboam, bottled at the restaurant during the same year, also sold, achieving £23,000 ($37,007).
The restaurant's owner, Andre Terrail, commented prior to the sale: "It is unusual for our diners to request some of our rarest and oldest spirits, and without wishing for such premium spirits to be left forgotten, we requested Christie's help in ensuring these excellent bottles are enjoyed by those who will truly appreciate them."
Also appearing among the 180 lots from the eatery were six bottles of Vieux Cognac Grande Fine Champagne 'Clos de Griffier' Cafe Anglais 1788 - among the oldest bottles to ever auction at Christie's.
Each of the six made £17,825 ($28,680) - far beyond the £4,000 ($6,456) high valuations.
Like many of the finest bottles at La Tour d'Argent, they were originally housed at the Cafe Anglais - transferring across town when the owner's daughter married La Tour d'Argent's owner, the grandfather of the present proprietor.
The most valuable bottle of cognac sold at auction remains an 1858 Cuvee Leonie, which achieved £101,293 ($162,182) in China last year.
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