The five sales will take place over the next year, each focusing on different regions and types of wine. Starting this November with a sale in Hong Kong, sales are also planned for New York, London and Beaune in France, considered the wine capital of the Burgundy region. There will also be a sale in Paris, where Chen will soon embark on his first foray into the world of fine dining, as his new Le Restaurant Blanc, where wines will come from his personal collection, is expected to open shortly.
Chen also owns the regarded Grand Cru Musigny vineyard in Burgundy’s Côte de Nuits wine district. He describes wine as “the ninth art”, and the “only art form one can consume, using senses than other art forms don’t typically involve”.
The auction comes less than five years after the Taiwanese billionaire sold off about $15 million of wines through Sotheby’s in Hong Kong, where his daughter Jasmine worked in the art department.
These tipples that form what the auction house describes as the “most broad ranging, valuable cellar ever formed” will require deep pockets to acquire, as some bottles are expected to fetch up to $200,000/€191,000 apiece.
Highlights include two methuselahs, or six litre bottles, of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 1985, estimated to sell for $120,000-$190,000 (€114,000-€181,000) each. The La Tâche appellation is widely recognised as producer of one of the world’s most brilliant wines, revered for longevity, quality and scarcity.
There’s also a 1999 vintage, with a higher estimate of $130,000 (€124,162), and a three litre 1971 jeroboam (or double magnum) of the same red burgundy ($140,000/€133,712).
