Pandolfini Wine Auction Tops €1.14 Million in Florence

Pandolfini’s auction of collectible wines in Florence brought in more than €1.14 million over two days, far above its initial estimates, with a 1937 Château d’Yquem leading the sale at €16,790.

The auction, called “La Joie du Vin,” was held April 9 and 10 at Pandolfini, Italy’s oldest auction house. The total reached €1,140,475, or 170% of the presale estimate, according to the house. The result reflected strong demand for rare bottles from France and Italy, with every lot in the single-owner French collection sold.

The top lot was the nearly 90-year-old Château d’Yquem 1937. Another bottle from the same Bordeaux estate, a Sauternes from 1927, sold for €12,848. The French single-owner collection alone brought in more than €410,000 and included bottles from some of Burgundy and Bordeaux’s best-known producers.

Among the standout French lots was a Montrachet 2005 from Domaine Leflaive, which sold for €16,120. An Ermitage Cuvée Cathelin 2009 from Domaine Jean-Louis Chave brought €7,440, while a Corton-Charlemagne 2010 from Domaine J.-F. Coche Dury sold for €6,200. A “Prestige Collection” Bordeaux set from the 2020 vintage by négociant Duclot, containing nine bottles from estates including Château Ausone, Château d’Yquem, Château Cheval Blanc and Pétrus, was sold for €7,668.

Other French lots also drew strong bids. Six bottles of Montrachet from Domaine J.C. Ramonet spanning the 2017 through 2022 vintages sold for €16,120. Six magnums of Vosne-Romanée Clos from Château Domaine Liger-Belair across the 2015 to 2020 vintages went for €14,880. A Jacques Selosse Champagne collection of lieux-dits sold for €4,712.

Italian wines also performed well and totaled €228,036 in sales. A magnum of Barolo Monfortino Riserva 2010 from Giacomo Conterno sold for €3,224. Twelve bottles of Sassicaia 2016 from Tenuta San Guido brought €3,720. A 6-liter mathusalem of Masseto 2017 from the Frescobaldi group was sold for €7,688.

Pandolfini said the results showed continued interest in rare wines from both classic French regions and top Italian producers, with collectors competing strongly for mature bottles and large-format formats that are increasingly sought after at auction.