A bottle of the first vintage of Penfolds Grange – 1951 – went under the hammer for $150,258 at a Langton’s live auction in Sydney last night.
“It’s a fantastic result, and shows a really vibrant, strong fine wine market here in Australia,” says Langton’s general manager Tamara Grischy.
“This particular Penfolds Grange 1951 was in excellent condition and is still in its original cap, which is very rare.
“In addition, the label was among the most intact of this vintage I have ever seen.
“The buyer is thrilled to add it to their wine collection.”
The buyer was a wine collector from the Greater Sydney area, and was competing for the coveted bottle against two other bidders.
The Penfolds Grange Hermitage Bin 1 Shiraz 1951 is the first vintage ever made of Australia’s most famous wine, and is in high demand among wine collectors looking to complete their Penfolds Grange sets.
A set contains all vintages of Penfolds Grange from 1951 to 2018 (67 bottles in total), and will go under the hammer for at least $400,000.
“Penfolds Grange is one of the sought-after brands on the secondary wine market,” Tamara says.
“It is liquid gold in a bottle, and as the first vintages become rarer to find, we will continue to see demand increase.”
In total, 31 lots sold last night for $470,000.
Other highlights include a Jacques Selosse Selection 3 Bottle Set Champagne which sold for $6,407 (reserve price $1,380) and the Domaine Armand Rousseau Grand Cru 3 Bottle Set, Chambertin selling for $34,950 (reserve $23,000).
The live auction took place at The Eveleigh in Sydney, where 200 guests enjoyed a three-course meal with matching wines from Penfolds, Wynns Coonowarra and Champagne Bollinger.
“The secondary fine wine market is the hottest it has ever been, and after a few years of lockdowns, it was exciting to bring wine lovers together and to let them get up close and personal with rare treasures many will never see in their lifetime!” Tamara says.
In December 2021, a bottle of Penfolds Grange Hermitage Bin 1 Shiraz 1951 went under the hammer at a Langton’s online auction for $157,624, making it the most expensive bottle of Australian wine ever sold.
All prices include buyer’s premium, which is 16.5 percent including GST and is paid on top of the hammer price.
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