The two heavyweights of the auction market, Penfolds Grange, and Henschke Hill of Grace achieved record prices at the Penfolds Barossa Rare Wine Auction held on Anzac Day April 25.
The imperial (6 litres) of 1998 Penfolds Grange realised $64,000 (with the addition of buyer’s premium $71,040), while the same size and vintage of the Henschke Hill of Grace sold for $38,000 under the hammer ($42,180 with buyer’s premium).
The two wines were sold after strong and competitive bidding, with the Grange going to a Melbourne retailer.
The sale included a bottle of Seppelt 1915 Para Liqueur, which sold for $1,500, with the proceeds and the buyer’s premium being donated to Legacy.
The sale held in the Premium Red Barrel Cellar at Penfolds Nuriootpa winery comprised lots donated by the wineries in the region. Many were sourced from museum stocks, or in formats released or bottled for the event.
Rieslings were in demand confirming that the riesling revival is underway. It was interesting to see that some of the Barossa and Eden Valleys best riesling makers were the keenest bidders on the lots. The highest riesling price paid was for a mixed dozen of some of the famous Leo Buring wines from the 1970’s, selling for $2,264 for the dozen.
Some famous Penfolds museum wines were in the catalogue and 2 bottles of a wine considered by many to be the finest red wine made in Australia, the famous Bin 60A Coonawarra Cabernet Kalimna Shiraz 1962 broke through the $2,000 mark for the first time, selling for $2,331 a bottle. Another famous wine from the 1950’s, Wynns Coonawarra Estate Michael shiraz 1955 eclipsed its previous best achieving $2,220 a bottle.
Other standout prices were:- Colin Gramp 80y.o. Frontignan $643; Rockford Basket Press Shiraz Decade Collection $310; Seppelt GR113 Muscat and DP 59 Tokay $355.
Popular lots included lunches and dinners with various Barossa winemakers, many of these exceeding their previous achieved totals.
The sale culminated with the offering of first the Henschke imperial, exceeding by nearly $30,000, its previous best price. If the crowd were silenced by the bidding on the Henschke wine, the tension in the room during the sale of the Penfolds Grange imperial could be felt.
Opening the bidding at $40,000, auctioneer Stephen Lumb accelerated through the $50,000 mark, with bidding seemingly stalling at $62,000. An offer of a $1,000 bid was tempting, and was taken, before being trumped with the winning bid of $64,000. The question had been answered and the answer was an emphatic YES to Penfolds, to Grange, and the national treasure that is the Barossa Valley.