Hong Kong will host the first wine auction of Sotheby's of 2014, with 694 lots estimated at a total of USD 2-3.200.000. The sale includes The Imperial Macallan – six litres”M Decanter-Constantine“, with proceeds from the sale donated to local Hong Kong charities. This is the first and only time that one of the four Imperiale M Decanters has been offered to the public. The auction also includes a superb selection of mature and ready-to-drink Bordeaux and Burgundy, spanning 128 years.
The 6 liter Macallan M decanter stands at 70cm (28 inches) tall and weighs 11.3kg empty and 16,8kg when filled. The making of this decanter posed a major technical challenge for the Lalique company and their works in Wingen-sur-Moder in the Alsazi, as this is the largest decanter they have ever made. Forty decanters were created and destroyed due to imperfections before this flawless decanter. For each decanter it took 17 craftsmen including two “ Meilleur Ouvrier de France ” (the best crystal craftsman in France) with more than 50 hours to complete it definitively.
“Constantine” is unic, like the other 4 Imperiales created (all with names of Roman emperors – the others are Caesar, Augustus and Justinian), this is the only one signed by the three directors responsible for this extraordinary creation. Of the remaining decanters, 2 will be archived by The Macallan and the fourth sold privately.
Top Lots:
THE MACALLAN M DECANTER-CONSTANTINE – Estimate (189,153 — 378,307 EUR)
CHATEAU PETRUS 1982 – Estimate (26,481 — 39,722 EUR)
CHATEAU LAFITE 1982 – Estimate (22,698 — 37,831 EUR)
ROMANEE CONTI 1978 DOMAINE DE LA ROMANEE-CONTI – Estimate (18,915 – 26,481 EUR)
LA TACHE 1985 DOMAINE DE LA ROMANEE-CONTI – Estimate (17,970 – 24,590 EUR)
CHATEAU LATOUR 1961 – Estimate (17,970 — 24,590 EUR)
CHATEAU PETRUS 1961 – Estimate (15,132 — 20,807 EUR)
ROMANEE CONTI 1985 DOMAINE DE LA ROMANEE-CONTI – Estimate (15,132 – 18,915 EUR)
CHATEAU MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 1961 – Estimate (12,295 — 18,915 EUR)
ROMANEE CONTI 1983 DOMAINE DE LA ROMANEE-CONTI – Estimate (11,349 – 15,132 EUR)
CHAMBERTIN 1990 ARMAND ROUSSEAU – Estimate (11,349 — 16,078 EUR)
CHATEAU MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 1945 – Estimate (10,403 — 17,024 EUR)
CHATEAU LATOUR 1982 – Estimate (10,403 — 14,186 EUR)
CHATEAU HAUT-BRION 1989 – Estimate (9,458 — 13,241 EUR)
CHAMBERTIN 1990 ARMAND ROUSSEAU - Estimate (9,458 — 14,186 EUR)
CHATEAU LAFITE 1986 – Estimate (8,985 — 12,295 EUR)
CHATEAU LAFITE 1986 – Estimate (8,985 — 12,295 EUR)
