This week I finally bid at a wine auction. I never participated before because I know my behavior at antique auctions where the paddle shoots in the air on its own accord for some strange phenomena. But, i wanted to finally try it at my age to get some older bottles of red burgundy because I’ve been lax with that region. Well, I didn’t get one lot of red burgundy and I bid on over 40 lots. Prices were a lot higher than I expected. Same with Bordeaux, Champagne and Cal Cab which I bid on and got nothing. Ridiculous prices. But I did get some special bottles that folks didn’t bid on for some reason. I ended up with three 1992 ZH Gewurtz Heimbourg, Eight 1993 Hengst and one 1994 Pinot Gris Rotenberg VT, 1 2005 Astralis, one each 2010 Yarra Yerring No 1 and 2, two 2011 Dead Arms, and six Shirvington Cabs for a steal! These are wonderful wines that weren’t snatched up. I take it Alsace and Aussie wines are less popular than I thought. And the best thing is I can drive to Delaware and pick them up!
Alsace is dead at auction.
Congrats Brian.
I am overspent already this month, so I am just watching and thinking of future strategies.
Lonnie
Similar to my experience except no Aussie. I low bid on a few things. Was outbid on Bordeaux and Rioja, none of which went outrageously high - just higher than I wanted to go. And I pulled the itchy trigger (maybe a hint of buyer’s remorse) on a Zind lot (7 375s, 6 750s) that included 6 750s of 1994 Rangen Clos Urbain Riesling, which i think is one of the all-time greats for ZH Riesling and a wine I last opened only a few years ago in a killer showing. Only 2 of us bid on the lot, and I would not have chased it higher.
This.
So far pulled the trigger on the 1994 Beaucastel since it was cheap with no one else bidding, plus can pickup with a quick drive. Lost out on some Burg, BDX and old traditional Napa. Prices seemed relatively normal, just nothing that was compelling enough to keep bidding.
Prices did seem normal for the small part I watched. Much saner than last month.
Yes, I was the other one bidding on that lot! You will love those bottles!
Any tips about contacting them for shipping? Is it as simple as you call, they give you the contact info for a shipper, and you’re done?
Prices did seem more reasonable than last month. Too bad I’m already in wife trouble for wine spending this summer on the home front. I got a few lots day 1 — one was a goof on my part (I meant to bid on 94/95/96 Harlan vertical and ended up bidding on 91/92/93). I had multiple tabs open doing pricing research on Tuesday and once I came up with my price, I clicked over and bid on the “Harlan vertical” without double checking the vintage. Anyway… Imagine my surprise when I won! If anyone won the 94/95/96 and wants to trade (they actually sold for identical pricing), hit me up!
Seemed like, for the most part, an auction of bottles for drinkers, not collectors. Lots of mixed lots, verticals, etc. No headline cellar or historical provenance. Won two lots at perfectly fine prices but even the ones I lost on did not sell at unreasonable levels.
I bid on 9 lots of Barolo/Barbaresco. Was the under-bid on 2, missed 3 others by a little, missed the other 4 by a country mile. None for me…
Yes, after the last auction, I just emailed me and they sent a list if shippers. I picked one to coordinate pick up and then you also sign a release with HDH so they know who is coming to get it on your behalf.
isnt it kinda nice when you find out who outbid you or beat you to the punch? I always wonder that on Envoyer emails, who got that great bottle I wanted??
I think Brian owes me $50 plus vig. Kidding of course.
I now share my intended auction targets with friends on occasion, some here, so we are not bidding against each other.
People commenting on the reasonableness of the prices weren’t looking at the same lots as I was. Or of the champagne lots. It’s one thing for rare or older wine to go for a price above market as the bidder might be pricing in provenance, but it’s another thing when generally available wine (2008 Bollinger in this case) goes for well above the generally available price.
Still not as bad as the K&L auction where the 2008 Cristal was going for $325/bottle. I kept looking to see if it was the rose or a magnum, but nope. I found 10 listings in California alone for $250 or less. What are people doing?
That said, the one lot I actually won was at a good price relative to the market.
I lost out on all of what I really wanted, but also picked up some 2014 Beaucastel for the same reasons. ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
/sigh. I shed a few tears over what Cedric Bouchard is fetching now between the last two auctions and my eyes bugged out at the Leclepart lot I was watching. I don’t like this brave new world, I don’t like it at all
Most Old World collectible continue to climb new highs. New World sold mostly in estimate range or many even below. Some actual bargains on many lots if comparing to what they sold initially when released (Rhone, CA, Australian, some Italy).
I bought a 6 pack when we opened 4 years ago and it took me that long to sell out. Sheez so hard to give people good wine.