Christie’s highlights Iconic Wines from Joseph Lau Part IV

The fourth part of the sale from Joseph Lau’s cellar features an enviable range of Bordeaux and Burgundy. Lots including Henri Jayer and Chateau Cheval Blanc go under the hammer on 21 November in Hong Kong.

Lot 5111: Henri Jayer, Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux 2000; 6 Bottles (75cl) per lot – (owc); estimate – HK$420,000 –600,000 Lot 5114: Henri Jayer, Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux 2000; 3 Magnums (150cl) per lot – (owc); estimate – HK$ 480,000 – HKD 650,000

Continuing the series started in 2022, Christie’s next selection from the cellar of Joseph Lau has been revealed. The sale will be laser-focused on the greats of French wine, offering iconic names from a trusted source.

Joseph Lau is one of Hong Kong’s most prominent figures, known for his collections of art, jewels and wine almost as much as for his business ventures. His cellar shows a strong bias towards French fine wine, and so the series of sales from it have brought heavy hitters of fine wine to the market.

The combined sales from the last three tranches of the sale have brought in HK$198m, 185% over the low estimate. The third part of the sale, which went under the hammer this may, came in at 159% over the sale’s low estimate, with 100% of the lots sold.

Adam Bilbey, global head of wine & spirits at Christie’s, certainly believes the sale offers something special for the market. “Building on the resounding success of the previous chapters,” he writes in the introduction to the catalogue, “this sale continues to offer collectors and connoisseurs yet another rare opportunity to explore and acquire bottles of extraordinary provenance, quality, and prestige.”

“Mr. Lau’s unwavering dedication to collecting only the finest wines is clearly reflected in the breadth and quality of this offering,” he continues.

A fine wine tour

The recurring theme across each of the sales has been in-demand names from Burgundy and Bordeaux. That pattern is unbroken in the upcoming sale, a testament to the taste of Joseph Lau and the expertise of Christie’s.

Legendary producer Henri Jayer is a central draw, with a number of lots sourced from Christie’s own 2012 sale ‘The Private Cellar of Henri Jayer’. Vosne Romaneée village wines appear, dating as far back as 1992. Of course, a selection of Henri Jayer would be incomplete without Cros Parantoux: the premier cru plot, which Henri Jayer put on the map, is represented in vintages spanning the 1990s to 2001.

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, arguably the Burgundy producer most associated with fine wine prestige, also features heavily. Pinot Noir arrives in the form of Romanée-Conti Grand Cru, with a selection from the 1990s to the 2010s. White Burgundy, in the form of Montrachet Grand Cru, spans a similar timescale of vintages.

Lot 5077: Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti 2002; 6 Bottles (75cl) per lot – (owc); estimate – HK$ 650,000 – 900,000
Lot 5145: Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Montrachet 2007; 3 Bottles (75cl) per lot – (cc); estimate – HK$150,000 – 220,000

Domaine d’Auvenay appears in a rare offering, with Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet and Chevalier-Montrachet all featuring.

Bordeaux is also prominent in the sale. From the Left Bank, highlights include Chateau Mouton Rothschild from 1982, double magnums of Chateau Lafite Rothschild from 2000 and both Chateau Haut-Brion and Chateau Latour from 2005.

Lot 5012: Château Lafite Rothschild 2000; 3 Double-Magnums (300cl) per lot – (owc); estimate – HK$ 80,000 – 110,000

Crossing the Gironde, the Right Bank sees stalwarts as Château Cheval Blanc and Le Pin go under the hammer with vintages from the 2000s. Meanwhile, Petrus appears in a number of lots, with parcel quantities of 1990 and a rare six litre Imperial of 1995 among them.

Lot 5046: Le Pin 2005; 4 Bottles (75cl) per lot – (cc); estimate : HK$75,000 – 95,000
Lot 5052: Petrus 1990; 3 Bottles (75cl) per lot – (cc); estimate – HK$ 70,000 – 100,000

Prospective bidders can explore the auction catalogue here.