Case of Hermitage La Chapelle Topples Auction Records

Jaboulet sets new high for Rhône reds at Christie's London

Peter D. Meltzer

Posted: Friday, September 21, 2007

At Christie's London sale on Sept. 20, a 12-bottle lot of Paul Jaboulet Ainé Hermitage La Chapelle 1961 sold for $247,747, setting an auction record for any Rhône wine sold at auction. The extraordinary price underlines the continued ascent of Rhône reds in global wine auction markets.

The previous high for a '61 La Chapelle was $119,000, paid at Zachys New York last May for a six-bottle lot. That averages out to $19,833 per bottle, compared with the $20,646 per bottle earned at the Christie's London sale.

The '61 Chapelle also surpasses the $237,000 paid at NYWinesChristie's in May for a dozen bottles of DRC Romanée-Conti 1985, which had been the second-highest price for a case-lot until now. The all-time record holder for a case-lot was set in September 2006 at NYWinesChristie's for 12 bottles of Château Mouton-Rothschild 1945 that sold for $290,000.

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