This Incredibly Rare Bottle of Wine Just Sold for $81,250

(Photo: Bonhams Skinner)

An incredibly rare 3-liter bottle of wine has been sold for $81,250 at Bonhams Skinner’s recent Fine Wines & Rare Spirits in Massachusetts. According to The Spirits Business, this is only the second time this type of bottle has ever come to auction.

The wine in question? A 1971 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti la Tache. Initially estimated to sell for $60,000-$90,000, the wine turned quite the profit for the vendor, who first anticipated it to sell for at least $20,000, per the report.

Included in the auction was another rare bottle of wine from the Romanee-Conti vineyard, a 1969 Magnum of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, estimated to sell for $30,000-$40,000. Wine Industry Advisor wrote that this opportunity was a “uniquely rare moment” to acquire large bottlings of the “exceptionally difficult-to-find wines, often referred to as one of the greatest wines in the world.”

The 3-liter 1971 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache holds four bottles worth of wine.

Furthermore, Wine Industry Advisor reported that the care and storage conditions both bottles received were “especially rare.” The 1971 bottle was noted as having a “loss to top of cracked wax capsule” with “bin wear to label and bottle, resulting in label and bottle soiling,” per Bonhams Skinner.

The owner of the wines purchased the 1971 bottle in 1979 for $325. According to the report, the man had hopes of presenting the bottle at his son’s wedding, but by the time of the marriage, he knew the bottle was too expensive to drink. It was noted that his son preferred beer, anyway. The receipt for the original wine purchase was included in the lot.

Both bottles were stored in professionally designed, temperature and humidity-controlled wine cellars and were not moved from the time of purchase until being relocated for the auction, according to Wine Industry Advisor.

The last time a wine bottle of this size was offered at auction was in 2021, when it sold for $90,000.

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