Calling all serious wine lovers and wine collectors for Spectrum Wine Auctions’ first auction at 5 pm, Saturday, November 21st at The St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, CA, and simulcast at Crown Wine Cellars—located 20 meters underground in a former munitions bunker—in Hong Kong at 9:00AM local Hong Kong time on Sunday, November 22. The auction will feature more than 200 auction lots from the prestigious collection of Aubrey McClendon and other fine properties with never seen before 360-Degree images of the wines and single estimates benefiting consignors and collectors alike.
“What makes this auction stand out is the variety of formats and vintages from all of the best vineyards,” director of client services at Spectrum Wine Auctions, Amanda Keston explains. Highlights include: two bottles of 1945 Latour; a full case of 1959 Lafite Rothschild; a 6 liter of 1982 Cheval Blanc in its original wooden case; a 6 Liter of 1989 Haut Brion; and more than 350 bottles and magnums combined of Harlan Estate from the best vintages (1994,1997, 2001 and 2002). It’s not ALL blue-chip bottlings, however: “One interesting lot in particular is Lot #665—a single 750ml bottle of 1966 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon; the vineyard’s very first vintage,” she notes. “The estimate? A mere $50 to own a piece of history.”
Revolutionizing Wine Auctioning
Spectrum Wine Auctions, the world’s newest live and online auction house of fine collectible wine, has posted its full online catalog and lot profiles to www.spectrumwine.com. Visitors to the site and registrants for the auction will see two things they have never seen from any auction house before: while all the lots have photographs, Spectrum has created remarkable 360-degree photographs of two hundred (almost one third) of the lots. Second, the auction features single estimates for each of the lots.
“The process offered us a chance to innovate, and to fill gaps in the industry we felt it well worth the effort and expense to fill,” says Spectrum Wine Auctions CEO Greg Roberts. “First, it shows the buyers EXACTLY what they are getting. These images—22 photos per 360-degree view—amount to a DNA fingerprint of each lot clients can use as a reference guide. There is no mistaking the provenance and integrity of the bottles. It’s also a fresh way for online visitors to evaluate the lots and shows them the wine in a way they haven’t seen before.”
Single Estimate Assurance
Another Spectrum innovation buyers and sellers will appreciate is the single estimate for each lot. Traditionally, auction houses often give estimates in ranges, sometimes so broad as to be difficult to interpret. “The fact is, a single estimate benefits the consignor AND the collector,” Roberts explains. “Quite simply, we feel it’s more accurate. It gives a bidder a strong center point around which to structure their bidding strategy, whether they are bidding for value or are feeling more adventurous.”
McClendon’s Collection Featured
The bulk of the 5500 bottle, 686-lot collection– 3800 bottles — comes from The Collection of Aubrey McClendon, arguably one of America’s greatest collectors. As CEO of Chesapeake Energy Corporation, (NYSE:CHK), one of the US’ largest natural gas producers, McClendon amassed the resources and resolve to create a collection of nearly unprecedented range and quality.
McClendon is well known for going large: collecting full-case bottlings of favorite vintages, often in their wooden cases and often in grand formats up to 6 liters. “While I have a lot of 750s, I think the most distinctive part of my collection is the large format bottles,” he said. “And the reason for that is that when I first saw an Imperial of wine…I said to myself, this is a work of art. This is beautiful. And it’s approachable. It’s sharable. It’s understandable, and at the end of the day it’s consumable. A primary collecting goal of mine has been to hunt for top-notch 6-liter bottles of wine over time.”
Why Hong Kong?
“Hong Kong has, in a very short time, ascended to the number two position among wine auction and collecting cities, ahead of London and gaining on New York.” Roberts explains, “Hong Kong is the center of the international wine collectors. Collectors there prefer, for example, the top Bordeaux and Burgundies in full case quantities while Americans tend to focus on specific bottles; each collector seeks out what their palate and preferences request. We have selected a noteworthy breadth and depth of vintages from the best vineyards in a wide range of formats with the Hong Kong buyer in mind: We are offering Chateau Mouton Rothschild in every format from 750ml to 6L imperial.”
Keston adds, “We have high hopes for our inaugural Hong Kong auction. We feel the size and scope of the auction is of particular interest to that market. It’s pretty obvious the Hong Kong auction scene–and the Hong Kong fine and collectible wine scene overall–is burgeoning and Spectrum Wine Auctions was formed in part to satisfy the needs and desires of our Hong Kong buyer. The attention paid to and success of venues like Crown Wine Cellars–a remarkable place in the world to buy, enjoy and store wine–is symbolic of the potential success we see in Hong Kong. This is the first of several auctions we plan to bring to Hong Kong–we’re in the market to stay.”
Spectrum Gives Back to Charity
Spectrum will donate the commissions on Lot #39—an Imperial of 1990 Lafite Rothschild signed by McClendon himself—to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, the largest private hunger-relief organization in McClendon’s home state of Oklahoma. More information about the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma can be found at www.regionalfoodbank.org.
High Caliber Wines and Business Standards
As an upstart with a world-class pedigree, it may seem Spectrum has a lot to prove. Roberts concludes, “We hold ourselves to the same high standards that every other well-known auction house does, only higher. What makes us different is that we offer the highest caliber of wines, superlative service, and an expert, experienced staff as well as a comfortable, approachable environment devoid of the pretense usually associated with these types of events. With all this auction has going for it, we are looking forward to an auspicious start to the business.”
Spectrum Wine Auctions
Spectrum Wine Auctions, based in Irvine, Calif., delivers a worldwide buying, selling and appraisal venue for collectors of rare and fine vintage wines. Live wine auctions in premier locations from Napa Valley to Hong Kong, as well as online wine auctions that span the globe, offer bidders and consignors alike the opportunity to collect and sell their favorite wines of the world with confidence and ease. Spectrum Wine Auctions is a division of Spectrum Group International, Inc., which includes first-class auction houses in numismatics, philately, and fine arms and militaria, as well as trading of bullion coins, bullion gold, silver and platinum to the wholesale marketplace, and financing on a wide array of collectibles, including coins and currency, bullion, and guns and militaria.
To view entire catalog, register for the auction November 21st, or watch an interview with Aubrey McClendon and Mario Sculatti, director of sales and consignments for Spectrum Wine Auctions, please visit: www.spectrumwine.com or call 888.982.1982.
