SOTHEBY’S AND DOMAINE CLARENCE DILLON TO STAGE SALE OF CHÂTEAU LA MISSION HAUT-BRION WINES DIRECT FROM THE CELLARS

Auction in London on the 7th of November 2024 celebrates 40 Vintages under the ownership of Domaine Clarence Dillon, featuring over a century of wines produced at La Mission

LONDON – On the 7th of November, in London, Sotheby’s will stage a sale of wines directly sourced from the cellars of Château La Mission Haut-Brion in Bordeaux. The sale celebrates 40 vintages, produced under the ownership of the Dillon family who acquired the estate in 1983. Complementing the four-decade range of bottles on offer, the auction will also feature wines from the pre Domaine Clarence Dillon era, spanning 1920 to 1982.

Château La Mission Haut-Brion | Celebrating 40 Vintages by Domaine Clarence Dillon comprises all of the different wines produced at La Mission Haut-Brion over the course of a century, including Châteaux Laville Haut-Brion, La Tour Haut-Brion and La Chapelle de La Mission Haut-Brion, the second wine of La Mission Haut-Brion. Also featured is the exceptional Saint-Émilion Grand Cru estate Château Quintus and its second wine, Le Dragon de Quintus. In total, close to 700 lots carry a combined estimated value in excess of £1 million ($1.3 million). A tribute to La Mission Haut-Brion, the sale represents a rare opportunity to acquire these wines that with perfect provenance, hold a legendary status among collectors.

Nick Pegna, Global Head of Wine and Spirits, Sotheby’s, said:

“We are delighted and honoured to be working with Prince Robert and his team on this wonderful celebration of 40 years of the Dillon family’s ownership of La Mission Haut-Brion. As ever, the wines always outperform expectations and with such perfect provenance, there is something here for all lovers of La Mission Haut-Brion and Quintus”.

Prince Robert of Luxembourg, Chairman and CEO of Domaine Clarence Dillon, said:

“I can barely believe, that it has been over four decades since I sat at La Mission Haut-Brion to personally witness the moment when my family was to take on the stewardship of this mythical estate. Since then, while always respecting the uniqueness of these wines, my family, my colleagues and I have strived to continue to raise this estate to new heights.”

THE WINES

Facing each other across a narrow road, La Mission Haut-Brion, together with Haut-Brion itself, are the two twins’ of top Bordeaux. The two wines have very different characters, despite being under the same ownership and winemaking team. Considered a monument of the wines of the Bordeaux appellation, La Mission is regarded as the unequivocal sixth First Growth, joining the ranks of the official five estates honoured with the famous classification of Bordeaux wines in 1855. Having taken its rightful place among the great wines of France, this exceptional estate repeatedly draws accolades from esteemed wine connoisseurs the world over.

Earlier this year, Domaine Clarence Dillon was named the official 2024 wine partner of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Exclusive red and white wines – with a special focus on La Mission Haut-Brion – were poured for the stars of Hollywood at the 96th Academy Awards® in a fitting nod to Prince Robert’s early professional life as a screenwriter in Los Angeles.

“Château La Mission Haut-Brion is both profound and exciting, a landmark and a legend that is, happily, transformed into total pleasure every time it appears in the glass. It should, of course, be a First Growth and it is considered as such, always impressing in vertical tastings.”

_{Serena Sutcliffe MW, Honorary Chairman, Sotheby’s Wine}

One of the world’s most interesting and age-worthy dry white wines, Château La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc (formerly also named Château Laville Haut-Brion) is often considered to be on a par with the very finest white Burgundies, making it one of the most distinguished white wines in the world. Achieving ethereal heights, this storied wine is produced in limited quantities, of only 500 cases per year, making it extremely rare and sought after.

Starting with the 1991 vintage, a second red wine was created at La Mission: La Chapelle de La Mission Haut-Brion. Benefitting from the same terroir as its older sibling, it is today regarded as more than La Mission’s second wine, and can be compared to some of the best classified growths in Bordeaux

In 2011, Domaine Clarence Dillon acquired a superb property in Saint-Émilion, now known as Château
Quintus. Further expansion followed with the further purchase of two neighboring estates in 2013 and
another in 2021. Château Quintus now forms a 45-hectare estate made up of some of the finest parcels
and terroirs, in Saint-Émilion. The estate was named Quintus (Latin for fifth) in order to represent both
the importance of its Roman heritage (the Gallo-Romans, creators of the vineyards of Saint-Émilion,
had the habit of naming their fifth child Quintus) – but also the fact that this is the fifth child and therefore
an equal in the portfolio of exceptional and rare Domaine Clarence Dillon wines.

Prince Robert introduced a new bottle at Quintus, closely inspired by the original early 19th-century Château Haut-Brion bottles. Since the purchase, the family firm has worked to implement the same principles of uncompromising excellence at Quintus that they have applied over generations at Château Haut-Brion and Château La Mission Haut-Brion.

Château Quintus recently distinguished itself in a Southwold-model blind tasting alongside Saint-Émilion’s five most prestigious crus: Angélus, Ausone, Cheval Blanc, Figeac and Pavie at Oswald’s Club in London, with a panel of judges composed of 28 experts and critics from around the world. Out of 48 wines ranging from the 2011 to 2018 vintages, three of the Quintus wines were ranked among the top 15, with two wines ranking in the top ten and Quintus 2016 ranked 4th. Only four perfect scores were awarded throughout the tasting, with three of those 100 points scores going to Quintus wines.

THE DILLON FAMILY’S OWNERSHIP OF LA MISSION HAUT-BRION

When Château La Mission Haut-Brion was offered for sale, Domaine Clarence Dillon quickly submitted a bid, which was accepted. The sale was overseen by Joan Dillon, Duchess of Mouchy, and her husband, the Duke of Mouchy. Eager to involve her son in the Domaine’s major decisions, the Duchess arranged for Prince Robert to be excused from his classes at his boarding school in England so that he could be present at the signing of the purchase agreement. At just 15 years old, Prince Robert of Luxembourg developed a deep interest in and commitment to the estate that has continued over the years to this day. He subsequently became actively involved with the family company in the early 1990s before officially joining the management team full-time in 1997.

Since 2009, Liv-Ex, the world’s leading exchange for fine wine, based in London, has been reviewing the 1855 classification to create a new ranking of Bordeaux wines for the modern economic context. La Mission has been consistently named in its classification as “the sixth First Growth of Bordeaux”.

Château La Mission Haut-Brion | Celebrating 40 Vintages by Domaine Clarence Dillon

• 699 Lots
• 48 Half Bottles; 3139 Bottles
• 877 Magnums; 140 Double Magnums
• 4 Jeroboams; 90 Imperials; 34 Salmanazars
• 5 Prestige Assortment Cases of Domaine Clarence Dillon
• 2 Prestigious Experiences
• The Clarence Dillon era: 1983-2022 (Lots 1-646)
• The Pre-Clarence Dillon era: 1920-1982 (Lots 647-699)

Highlights and si gnificant years through two era

The Clarence Dillon Era: 1983-2022

First decade: 1983-1989

• Château La Mission Haut-Brion 1983, 1 Double Magnum, est. £500-700 (Lot 2)
  The first vintage by Domaine Clarence Dillon
• Château La Mission Haut-Brion 1986, 1 Imperial, est. £1,400-1,900 (Lot 14)
• Château La Mission Haut-Brion 1989, 1 Jeroboam, est. £6,500-8,500 (Lot 17)
• Château Laville Haut-Brion 1985, 12 bottles, est. £1,900-2,400 (Lot 22

Second decade: 1990-2000

• Château La Mission Haut-Brion 1998, 1 Salmanazar, est. £2,800-3,500 (Lot 77)

• Château La Mission Haut-Brion 2000, 1 Imperial, est. £3,500-4,500 (Lot 91)

• Château Laville Haut-Brion 1990, 12 bottles, est. £1,600-2,000 (Lot 94

• La Chapelle de La Mission Haut-Brion 1992, 12 bottles, est. £260-350 (Lot 155)
  The second wine of Château La Mission Haut-Brion, first introduced in 1991

Third decade: 2001-2010

• Château La Mission Haut-Brion 2010, 1 Salmanazar, est. £5,500-7,500 (Lot 296)
• Château Laville Haut-Brion 2008, 1 Double Magnum, est. £800-1,000 (Lot 335)
  The last vintage under the label Château Laville Haut-Brion
• Château La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc 2009, 1 Salmanazar, est. £2,800-3,500 (Lot 345)
  The first vintage of Château La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc since 1930

• Château La Tour Haut-Brion 2005, 1 Imperial, est. £480-600 (Lot 387)
  The last vintage of Château La Tour Haut-Brion which is then incorporated into the second
  wine, La Chapelle de La Mission Haut-Brion

Fourth decade: 2011-2022

• Château Quintus 2011, 6 Magnums, est. £950-1,300 (Lot 443)
  The first vintage of Château Quintus

• La Chapelle de La Mission Haut-Brion 2015, 1 Salmanazar, est. £600-800 (Lot 531)
• Château La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc 2012, 1 Imperial, est. £3,000-4,000 (Lot 550)
• Château La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc 2022, 1 Salmanazar, est. £4,500-6,000 (Lot 639)

Domaine Clarence Dillon, Prestige Case, vintage 2016, est. £3,800-4,500 per case (Lots 640-644)

A rare bespoke prestige case featuring nine wines from three Domaine Clarence Dillon estates: Château Haut Brion, Château La Mission Haut-Brion, and Château Quintus. This stunning assorted case, produced in limited quantities, consists of six bottles of the first and second wines from the left and right banks together with three magnums of the first wines from the three estates.

The outstanding 2016 vintage reaffirms the power of great terroirs. Château Quintus recently distinguished itself with the 2016 vintage, in a blind tasting alongside Saint-Emilion’s five most prestigious crus. Out of 48 wines ranging from the 2011 to 2018 vintages, tasted blind by 28 wine experts and critics, Quintus 2016 was ranked 4th.

Rare Experiences

Dinner for six at the exceptional 2-Michelin-starred restaurant Le Clarence in Paris, est. £12,000-24,000 (Lot 645)

A unique opportunity to discover Domaine Clarence Dillon’s residence in the Golden Triangle of Paris. The Hôtel Dillon, located just a few feet away from Les Champs-Elysées and opposite Le Grand Palais, is home to La Cave du Château, a Fine Wine store as well as the Restaurant, Le Clarence.

This experience includes a tasting of Domaine Clarence Dillon’s younger vintages, along with an aperitif and dinner by renowned Michelin starred chef, Christophe Pelé.

Bordeaux experience for six at Domaine Clarence Dillon, est. £12,000-24,000 (Lot 646)

A unique opportunity to visit two of Domaine Clarence Dillon estates: Château Quintus and Château La Mission Haut-Brion. This experience includes a private visit of the two estates, along with an exclusive discovery of Domaine Clarence Dillon’s newly opened Boutique, La Cave du Château.

There, surrounded by the vineyards of Château Haut-Brion, in the recently renovated Pavilion Catelan a discovery and tasting of Domaine Clarence Dillon’s younger vintages will be offered. This will be followed by a dinner hosted by Mr Jean-Philippe Delmas, Deputy Managing Director, Domaine Clarence Dillon, at Château La Mission Haut-Brion.

This exclusive lot will include eight three-bottle cases of each of the finest wines produced at Château La Mission Haut-Brion and Château Quintus in the last four decades, with 1 bottle of each signed by Prince Robert of Luxembourg

The Pre Clarence-Dillon Era: 1920-1982

• Château La Mission Haut-Brion 1929, 1 bottle, est. £2,400-3,200 (Lot 648)
• Château La Mission Haut-Brion 1959, 1 bottle, est. £2,400-3,200 (Lot 653)
• Château La Mission Haut-Brion 1982, 1 Jeroboam, est. £4,800-6,500 (Lot 670)
• Château Laville Haut-Brion 1978, 12 bottles, est. £1,300-1,700 (Lot 680)
• Château La Tour Haut-Brion 1978, 12 bottles, est. £1,900-2,400 (Lot 695)

Château La Mission Haut-Brion | Celebrating 40 Vintages by Domaine Clarence Dillon Auction by Sotheby´s will open for online bidding on 24th October, culminating in an online-streamed, live auction in London on 7th November at 11:00 GMT.