Bolaffi Leads Auction With Rare Henri Jayer Bottles

Bolaffi will open its “Vini Pregiati e Distillati” auction on May 6 and 7 with a catalog built around some of the most sought-after names in fine wine, led by rare bottles from Henri Jayer, Masseto and Giacomo Conterno, along with top lots from Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Tuscany and Piedmont. The sale will be held online in live format, with the first day devoted to Italian wines and the second to French labels, while the highest estimate in the entire auction belongs not to a wine but to a whisky: a bottle of Bowmore Bouquet 1966-1994 single malt Scotch Whisky by Samaroli, estimated at 25,000-30,000 euros.

Among the headline lots is a magnum of Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux 1996 by Henri Jayer, with a starting price of 15,000 euros. Another Jayer lot, two bottles of Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux 2001, opens at 8,000 euros. The Burgundy section also includes two bottles of Echezeaux 1993 by Henri Jayer at 5,000 euros and a selection of three bottles from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s 2018 vintage — La Tache, Echezeaux and Romanée-St.-Vivant — with a starting bid of 4,700 euros.

Italy’s strongest showing comes from Piedmont and Tuscany. Giacomo Conterno appears with five magnums of Barolo Monfortino Riserva 2019 at 6,500 euros, as well as a double magnum of the same wine at 2,800 euros and four bottles of Barolo Monfortino Riserva 1993 at 2,000 euros. Gaja is represented by several lots, including 12 bottles of Barbaresco 1978 at 900 euros, six bottles of Barolo Sperss 1995 at 900 euros, six bottles of Barbaresco Sorì Tildin 1986 at 750 euros and six bottles of Barbaresco Sorì San Lorenzo 1986 at 750 euros. Bartolo Mascarello is present with 14 bottles of Barolo 1993 at 2,000 euros, eight bottles of Barolo 2016 at 1,200 euros and three magnums of Barolo with artist labels from the 2013, 2014 and 2015 vintages at 1,000 euros.

Tuscany brings a long list of Super Tuscans. A vertical of 12 bottles of Masseto from the 2011 through 2022 vintages leads that group with a starting price of 7,000 euros. Other Masseto lots include six bottles of the 2000 vintage at 3,300 euros, five bottles of the 1998 vintage at 3,000 euros and two magnums from the 2017 and 2021 vintages at 2,500 euros. Sassicaia appears in several formats as well: 10 bottles from the 2010 vintage at 3,000 euros, a lot of 11 bottles split between six from 2014 and five from 2016 at 2,700 euros, and a vertical spanning the years from 2014 through 2022 at 2,000 euros. Ornellaia is listed with a “Collection” case of 12 bottles divided evenly among the 2012 through 2015 vintages at 2,000 euros.

Other Tuscan highlights include a mixed “Selezione Toscana” lot with one bottle each of Masseto 1995, Guado al Tasso 1998, Ornellaia 1999 and Sassicaia 1999 for a starting price of 900 euros. Marchesi Antinori also appears with six bottles of Solaia Annata Diversa 2002 at 900 euros and a lot of 12 bottles of Tignanello 2021 at the same starting price. Montevertine contributes a mathusalem of Le Pergole Torte 2021 at 1,600 euros.

Brunello di Montalcino is also well represented. One lot includes three bottles of Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Greppo Riserva 1985 by Biondi-Santi at 750 euros. Another offers six bottles of Brunello di Montalcino Case Basse Riserva 1991 by Gianfranco Soldera at 2,400 euros.

The French section on May 7 ranges from Bordeaux to Champagne. Bordeaux lots include three bottles each of Pauillac Château Lafite Rothschild and Château Mouton Rothschild from the current vintage listed in the catalog at starting prices of around or above their respective estimates, plus larger-format bottlings such as a jeroboam of Pauillac Château Latour from the year listed in the sale at an estimate of about several thousand euros and a bottle of Pomerol Le Pin from the same category. Burgundy offerings include a bottle of Chambertin 2017 by Domaine Armand Rousseau at around several thousand euros and two bottles of Echezeaux 2014 by Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair at about half that amount.

Champagne is represented by a bottle of Clos d’Ambonnay Blanc de Noirs 2002 by Krug at about mid-four figures and two bottles of Salon 2002 at slightly lower levels. The catalog also includes Spain through Vega Sicilia, with two bottles of Unico from the early-1980s vintage and one bottle of Unico Reserva Especial starting at about several hundred euros.

The auction reflects continued demand for rare back vintages and large-format bottlings among collectors in Italy and abroad. Bolaffi’s sale arrives as fine wine auctions remain focused on scarcity-driven labels whose market value is shaped by provenance, condition and limited production rather than age alone.