ASC Fine Wines, a Chinese wine importer and distributor, has celebrated the success at its silent wine auction held in Shanghai on 8 December after the auction surpassed anticipated sales targets.

ASC Fine Wines is also the owner of ASC Auction Company, established in 2009 and recognised as the only licensed auction house specialising in the wine category in China.

The auction featured 145 lots of fine wines ranging from Bordeaux Grand Cru Classé and rare premium Burgundy selections to highly sought-after international fine wines. It lasted five hours and attracted competitive bids from attendees at the venue and absentee bidders across China.

Lots included a Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1982, which the importer and distributor hailed as “the crown jewel of Bordeaux wines and a sensation in China”, reporting that it “set the auction floor ablaze with fierce bidding”, according to a press release.

The Petrus Vertical Vintage Package (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) was also made available, the bidding for which, ASC said, highlighted “the intense rivalry for Petrus in the dynamic Chinese market, capturing the spotlight with a surge of attention”.

The Domaine Romanée-Conti La Tache 2016 and Taylor’s 1896 Very Old Tawny Port were also sold lots in the Shanghai auction.

As for domestic-made wine, the Longyu China Red 2019 took centre stage, poised to usher in the auspicious Year of the Dragon in 2024. Its popularity led ASC and the winery to direct the proceeds towards a charitable cause – the Shanghai Charity Foundation to be donated to support Suntory’s Mizuiku (water education) project in China.

In other news, ASC Fine Wines will be the first to launch the new organic expression of Domaines Barons Rothschild (Lafite)’s Chilean arm Los Vascos in Hong Kong in early 2024.