Sotheby’s is to sell one of the largest and most valuable wine collections to ever come to market, comprising 25,000 bottles of rare and exceptional wine, many straight from the estate where it was grown, whose pre-sale estimates total $50 million. The Epicurean’s Atlas: Journey Through the Legendary Cellar of Pierre Chen is a series of five dedicated auctions, that will take place in Hong Kong, France and New York, with tasting events in London, from November 2023. The collection belongs to one of the world’s biggest art collectors, Taiwanese entrepreneur Pierre Chen, who founded a successful electrical component company, Yageo, in 1977 which helped him become one of the country’s richest men. Chen has spent four decades collecting wine and modern art, with his collection boasting at least 7 Picassos, 2 major Bacons, and works by Hockney, Twombly, Richter, Doig, and Freud. Some of his paintings are included in the current Tate Modern’s exhibition, Capturing the Moment. Alongside his interest in art, Chen has amassed a collection of extremely rare wine – some from vineyards that produce just a handful of bottles a year. The highlight of the sale include six magnums of Henri Jayer Vosne Romanee Cros Parantoux 1er Cru, 2001 (estimate: US$50,000-70,000 per magnum), which came direct from the cellar of Henri Jayer, the last wine he made before retiring in 2001, three magnums of Salon Le Mesnil, Blanc de Blancs 1971, Salon (estimate: US$6,000-8,000 per magnum), a 6-litre Imperial of Petrus 1982 (estimate: US$45,000-65,000), considered as
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