On 20 June, in Paris, Sotheby’s will stage “The Ultimate Champagnes” - the first ever auction devoted exclusively to Champagne. The sale – comprising a treasure trove of the greatest Champagnes ever produced – will also mark the first time Sotheby’s has staged a live wine auction in the French capital.
On 2 July, the spotlight will shift to Burgundy for a unique event at the exclusive Couvent des Cordeliers in Beaune. Featuring the crème de la crème of Burgundy wines, “Live in the Vines” will be the first single-owner wine auction to be staged in a region famed for its Grand Cru vineyards.
With over 3,000 meticulously curated bottles of Champagne and Burgundy, these sales represent a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire rare and legendary wines from the most esteemed collection in the world.
Assembled over some forty years with care, connoisseurship and a keen palate, the wines come from the revered cellars of Pierre Chen, whose collections of both wine and art rank among the greatest in the world. While the 25,000 bottles to be sold represent just a fraction of Mr. Chen’s vast collection, their sale nonetheless represents a defining moment for the market at a time when interest in, and demand for, wine is at an all-time high.
Beyond the great names like Krug, Dom Pérignon, Salon, and Roederer, this sale reflects Mr. Chen’s inquisitive and visionary approach to collecting. Long before Taittinger’s Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs became a market favourite, Pierre Chen recognized its potential. His foresight is also evident in the remarkable depth of Bollinger’s Vieilles Vignes Françaises, spanning a wide array of vintages. It is Mr. Chen’s early appreciation for the potential of these wines that allowed him the opportunity to build this unparalleled collection.
