When Bonhams introduced its partnership with Burgundy’s Edouard Delaunay for “Jubilant Revival in Burgundy: Maison Edouard Delaunay Ex-Domaine – Best & Rarest Wines”, it marked a lot greater than a milestone public sale. It additionally represented a shift in how fantastic wines are launched, authenticated and picked up. Operating on-line from 5 to 27 November 2025, the sale options 68 distinctive tons sourced instantly from the Delaunay household’s personal cellar — bottles which have by no means left their house at Château de Charmont till now.
Based in 1893 and revived in 2017 below fifth-generation winemaker Laurent Delaunay, the Maison has change into a mannequin of Burgundy’s fashionable renaissance, uniting heritage with technical mastery. LUXUO speaks to Laurent Delaunay, president of Edouard Delaunay, concerning the significance of this unprecedented collaboration with Bonhams, the evolution of Burgundy’s public sale market and why provenance stays the last word benchmark of worth in fantastic wine.
How distinctive – and extraordinary – is that this affiliation between Bonhams and Edouard Delaunay?
For us, it’s each new and actually distinctive. That is the very first time that now we have labored on such a mission with a prestigious public sale home of this calibre. Historically, wine auctions have centered on the secondary market — collectors or cellar house owners reselling bottles that they had beforehand bought from producers or négociants. These gross sales confirmed that fantastic wine could possibly be each a pleasure to share and a beneficial funding.
In recent times, nevertheless, a brand new strategy has emerged: auctions that includes wines launched instantly by the producers themselves, typically bottles which were rigorously stored till they reached their ultimate maturity and market curiosity. That is exactly what we’re providing by way of this collaboration with Bonhams.
For wine lovers, the advantages are clear. Authenticity and provenance are absolutely assured since these wines come instantly from our circle of relatives cellar. They’ve by no means travelled, have at all times been saved in excellent circumstances at our Château de Charmont in Burgundy, and are actually launched at their optimum consuming window. Though this strategy is gaining traction, it stays uncommon. For us, this can be a true première.
How vital and educated are Burgundy wine lovers within the Far East?
Extraordinarily. Alongside the USA and the UK, wine fans within the Far East are among the many most passionate and educated on the earth. Since relaunching our Burgundy vineyard in 2017, now we have made this a part of the world a precedence — choosing the best importers and distributors, spending time within the area to current our wines, and welcoming many Asian guests to Château de Charmont, simply exterior Nuits-Saint-Georges.
Over time, many of those encounters have advanced into real friendships. I’m continually impressed by the curiosity and deep understanding of Burgundy that our Asian mates show. On a number of events, they’ve even launched me to fellow Burgundy producers I had not met earlier than — which says so much about their ardour and community.
What would be the profile of the bidders at this particular public sale to be staged in Hong Kong?
Open-minded wine lovers and collectors — people who find themselves keen to find a unique side of Burgundy, one which displays the spirit of an genuine household Maison they won’t but know. Burgundy is an interesting and singular wine area the place, even for seasoned connoisseurs, there’s at all times extra to discover: new names, forgotten appellations, hidden gems.
Because the famend wine critic Michel Bettane not too long ago wrote, “That is now not a renaissance, it’s a masterful return to the forefront.”
And though the public sale can be launched from Hong Kong, it is going to be accessible on-line to wine fans throughout the globe.
Do you anticipate some record-breaking numbers?
Not essentially. We’re absolutely conscious of our present market positioning and we proceed to construct our fame step-by-step. Nonetheless, given the distinctive high quality of our wines — which have been unanimously praised by critics and sommeliers alike — we’re assured that their worth and recognition will proceed to develop over time.
This public sale subsequently, represents a super alternative for discerning collectors to put money into our greatest wines whereas they continue to be attractively priced. Above all, it permits us to introduce Edouard Delaunay to a brand new viewers of collectors, to strengthen our picture, and to determine an preliminary benchmark inside the public sale world.
How will you assess whether or not the public sale is an entire or partial success?
Along with Bonhams, now we have set average information worth targets and can be happy if they’re reached or exceeded. However past the monetary facet, what actually issues to us is the extent of curiosity and enthusiasm this occasion generates round Edouard Delaunay.
Are there different comparable initiatives by Edouard Delaunay deliberate elsewhere on the earth?
No. It will stay a novel initiative, with no plans to copy it within the close to future.
Head to bonhams.com for extra data.
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