WINE & SPIRITS

THE FATE OF PRIZED BOTTLES AT CHRISTIE'S FIRST-EVER HAMPTONS WINE AUCTION

Palpable electricity surged through the Westhampton audience at a recent Christie's wine auction as bidding began for the star lot of the day—a magnum of 1929 Grand Vintage Moet & Chandon. The bottle, a special release marking the label's debut last year as the official bubbly of the Academy Awards, was presented in its original wooden collector's encasement signed by Tina Fey, Robert Downey Jr. and Matthew Broderick, among other Hollywood stars.

Bidding for the charity lot began with an online offer of $4,200 and quickly surged, ricocheting around the room—from call-ins to on-premise bidders—finally ending with a winning bid, $6,000 (with proceeds going to the Motion Picture and Television Fund).

Although I wasn't able to pony up myself, before the auction I called Moet cellar-master Benoit Gouez for a little background on this precious Champagne. Gouez, who supervised the 80-year-old bottle's recent disgorgement, testified to its sublime character. "The wine was pushing against the cork," he said, "which means there was still pressure in the bottle and the wine was still good. The color was yellow-gold and it still had an elegant effervescence." He described the taste as a mix of dried fruit, ginger, citrus, tobacco, brioche and leather. "For me," he said, "it's very emotional to find all of that in one Champagne." Although Moet & Chandon has a stock of rare vintages dating back to 1892, the bottle of '29 is the oldest to come up for auction.

Gouez advised that the winning bidder should drink his prize now. "It's incredibly fresh for an 80-year-old wine," he said, "but it won't develop further complexity."

Christie's first-ever Hamptons wine auction convened in early June in the carriage house of the waterfront Atwater Estate in Westhampton Beach. Built in Beaux Arts style by a coal baron in 1900, the historic property was itself offered up for sale that day (for a cool $29 million). The wine-collecting crowd bid their way through an astounding 793 lots, amassed from several impressive private collections. The auction kicked off with a triple-mint collection of first-growth left-bank Bordeaux. Then came a series of lots described in the catalog as "the finest and rarest from the days of yore." These included some vintages of Lafite Rothschild going back to 1875 (with estimates in the $2,000-3,000 range).

Another consigner brought small lots of Domaine Romanee Conti, the cult Burgundy that is always in high demand. There were top Californians, as well, a dazzling parade from Caymus, Colgin, Araujo, Dominus and Harlan Estate. A top Manhattan family presented a mint-condition Bordeaux collection, with Haut Brion, Cheval Blanc and Mouton Rothschild among them. And for the more frugal buyer, there were some fine, and very affordable, mixed white Burgundy lots.

After the sale, Charles Curtis, head of North American wine sales at Christie's—and the brains behind this particular auction—explained that, in spite of the recession, wine sales are making a comeback.

"Prices took a big correction last year," he said. "With the plentiful supply, prices were dropping between 20 and 40 percent. But all this spring, it's been coming back. Rare Burgundy and older Bordeaux, in particular, remain plenty strong."

The auction bore out his assessment, with most bidding landing in the middle-to-upper range of the estimates (eight bottles of '82 Lafite surpassed predictions, selling for $17,000). "Many of the wines had reasonable estimates that helped bring people back," explained Curtis.

Among the bidders who came out for the Hamptons event were buyers from as far as Germany, Korea and Britain. Bids came in—online and over the phone—from all over the world, with the proceedings broadcast in real-time on Christie's website. "Buyers in today's sale were primarily American," said Curtis, "with significant participation from buyers in Hong Kong, Brazil, the U.K., Japan and Singapore."

There are also, of course, some fine collectibles from our own Long Island wine region. 2001 Merlot Reserve from Bedell Cellars was released in a limited edition of 455 numbered magnums ($200) with a label created by well-known Hamptons contemporary artist Eric Fischl. And Bedell's 2006 Bordeaux-blend Musee ($75) features its own label by none other than artist Chuck Close. Wölffer Estate's 2005 Christian cuvée ($100) is made from the winery's oldest block of Merlot vines and is named for late winery founder Christian Wölffer. Wölffer winemaker Roman Roth has his own critically acclaimed signature Merlot cuvée (under his own label), Grapes of Roth. From Macari, you might consider cellaring their two Bordeaux blends, Alexandra 2004 ($80) and Solo Uno 2005 ($100). Any great Hamptons' collection should surely have some of these "best of breed" East End bottles on a shelf in the cellar.