A collection of 131 bottles of Château d’Yquem dating back to 1811 was sold last month by the global Fine Wine specialists Wine Source. The sale, to an undisclosed London-based private client, came to over USD$ 2million and included an astonishing 38 vintages from the 19th century and 84 from the 20th century. (The only vintages missing were those not produced.) It was bought as an ‘investment in historical patrimony’ and is, without a doubt, one of the largest single acquisitions of Château d’Yquem ever made.
The provenance - and therefore quality - of the bottles was of critical importance to Wine Source, whose premise is to provide fine and rare bottles to their customers with an absolutely guaranteed provenance. The bottles were bought from a private collector in Europe with the assistance of internationally recognized wine expert Aymeric de Clouet – recently responsible for the sale of the French Prime Minister’s Cellar – who verified the authenticity of the collection. He commented: “As a Fine Wine Expert, I come across some of the rarest collections in the world, and this collection really stood out as being truly exceptional.”
