Rare Bordeaux Wines From Rothschild Cellar Fetch Over $11 Million at New York Auction

A wine auction held by Zachys in New York on September 19 drew international attention as it achieved a total of $11,160,375, far surpassing the pre-sale estimate of $2.76 million. The event took place at The Pool in Manhattan and featured wines from the private cellar of Jacqueline (de Rothschild) Piatigorsky, a direct descendant of the family that purchased Château Lafite in 1868. Bidders from 17 countries participated both in person and online, competing for bottles that had never before been offered for sale.

The collection included wines acquired on release and stored in Pauillac, Bordeaux, for decades. This was the first time any bottles from de Rothschild’s cellar were made available to collectors. Every lot found a buyer, with the auction achieving a 100% sell-through rate. The highlight was Lot #2098, a magnum of Château Lafite-Rothschild 1870, which sold for $387,500. Another standout was a set of three bottles of 1875 Giscours that fetched $106,250, setting a new record for the estate.

The auction opened with selections from Châteaux Branaire-Ducru, Brane-Cantenac, Cheval Blanc, and Cos d’Estournel. Early excitement built around two lots of 1899 Haut-Brion; the first three-bottle lot sold for $100,000 and the next for $106,250, both record prices for this vintage. The sale then moved through 177 lots of Lafite-Rothschild wines—498 bottles and large formats—which together brought in $6.49 million.

Among the rarest offerings was Lafite Blanc, a white wine not produced at Lafite-Rothschild since the 1960s. The auction concluded with world-record prices for 11 lots of Sauternes from Climens, La Tour Blanche, Rayne Vigneau, and Suduiraut.

Charles Antin, Global Head of Wine Auctions at Zachys and the auctioneer for the event, described the sale as historic. He noted that the provenance and condition of the wines attracted significant interest from collectors worldwide. “At every step in the process… we knew we were making wine-auction history,” Antin said after the sale.

Bidders came from across North America, Europe, and Asia to compete for wines from more than 20 Bordeaux châteaux. All bottles had remained in Pauillac until this auction. Including a multi-vendor sale held by Zachys the previous day, the two-day total reached $17,163,925 with more than 98% of lots sold.

The results reflect strong demand for rare wines with impeccable provenance and storage history. The success of this auction underscores Zachys’ position as a leading wine auction house in the United States and highlights continued global interest in Bordeaux’s most storied estates.