In a move that will have oenophiles the world over rejoicing, Heritage Auctions will begin offering fine and rare wines with its much anticipated April 2, 2011 Signature® Fine & Rare Wines Auction, featuring a Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1898 already turning heads among collectors.

“Fine and rare wines is a natural market for Heritage to enter,” said Greg Rohan, President of Heritage, “and one that we've been wanting to get into for a long time.  Frank Martell, who recently joined Heritage, is a natural fit to head this category; his breadth of experience in the wine business in general, and particularly in building the wine auction category, is considerable."

Heritage has appointed widely-recognized wine specialist Frank Martell as its Wine Department Director, who brings an extensive breadth of knowledge to his position at Heritage, with more than 13-years of experience in the international wine market.

“An impressive assortment of fine wine has been consigned for this inaugural event, featuring 1,225 lots with a pre-auction estimate of $1.6-million,” said Martell, “expected to attract spirited bidding both from the Beverly Hills auction room as well as from an international contingent of wine collectors bidding via telephone and the Internet.”

Heritage debuted its online auctions in the Fine & Rare Wines category in January of this year, piquing the interest of wine collectors and restaurateurs with bold reds and whites of fine varietals and reserves.  Online wine sales are conducted monthly by the world’s third-largest auctioneer, opening to bidders on the first Thursday of each month, continuing for a week-long period.  According to Martell, “Online sales will always have a reasonable assortment of nice wines in the $30-40/btl range.  Most online wine lots have an estimate between $70-150, with the more valuable consignments reserved for the Signature sales.”

The April Signature sale will feature 21 vintages of Chateau Lafite Rothschild dating back to 1898, among an excellent assortment of classic Bordeaux from the ‘86, ‘89 and ‘90 vintages.  There is also a selection of deep and broad collections of top Burgundy, Rhone and Italian wines and a choice assortment of California’s finest wines, all culled from multiple private collections. The May Signature offering – a follow-up to the April debut – will feature an exceptional single-owner collection of fine wines. 

“Wine sales at Heritage Auctions will incorporate enhancements in customer service,” Martell pointed out, “assisting buyers with complimentary shipping from the Beverly Hills offices to regional US distribution points - including locations in New York City, Chicago and Texas, as well as greater transparency relating to the provenance of consigned lots.”

Heritage will be the first house to publish lot reserves along with the pre-sale wine estimates.  Catalogs will include tasting notes and information to enable both aficionados and novices alike to bid with confidence.

The April 2 wine sale will take place at Heritage Auctions Beverly Hills, 9478 West Olympic Boulevard.  Online bids can be placed at Wine.HA.com as of March 14, 2011.