Sotheby’s will offer a selection of wines drawn directly from Château Rauzan-Ségla and Château Canon, the two Bordeaux estates owned by CHANEL, in a dedicated auction in London on 29 October 2021. The pair face each other across the Gironde estuary, Rauzan-Ségla on the Left Bank near Margaux and Canon on the Right Bank in Saint-Émilion.
Titled Rauzan-Ségla & Canon | From One Bank to Another, the sale marks twenty-five years of CHANEL ownership and more than a century of winemaking across both banks. It comprises over 900 lots and more than sixty rare vintages spanning 1917 to 2020, in formats ranging from single bottle to Melchior (18 litres). Bidding opens on 15 October, and the combined estimate exceeds £730,000. It is described as the first time wines from two properties holding a Grand Cru and a Premier Cru classification have been offered together in one dedicated auction.
Beyond the bottles, the sale includes a series of experiences, among them vineyard and château tours, overnight stays during harvest, and access to CHANEL sites such as Mademoiselle Chanel’s apartment in Paris and the flower fields at Grasse. A two-day stay across both châteaux, including a private visit to the Paris apartment for up to three couples, carries an estimate of £11,000 to 16,000.
Pre-war vintages feature prominently. They include Château Canon 1926 (3 bottles, est. £950 to 1,400), three magnums of the 1933 (est. £1,400 to 2,000), and two magnums of the 1949 (est. £2,800 to 3,800 per lot). From Rauzan-Ségla, a selection of pre-1962 bottles includes the 1929 (est. £420 to 600) and six bottles of the 1961 (est. £1,800 to 2,600 per lot).
Large formats and bespoke lots close the range. A Melchior (18L) and a Nebuchadnezzar (15L) of the 2019 Canon carry estimates of £1,600 to 2,200 and £1,300 to 1,800 respectively, while single bespoke barrels of the 2020 vintage are estimated at £24,000 to 32,000 for Canon and £18,000 to 27,000 for Rauzan-Ségla.
Château Rauzan-Ségla dates its history to 1661, when Pierre de Rauzan acquired and named the estate; on a visit in 1787, Thomas Jefferson ordered ten cases. Château Canon began in 1760 under Jacques Kanon, its spelling formalised in 1853. CHANEL acquired Rauzan-Ségla, a Deuxième Grand Cru Classé in the 1855 classification, in 1994, and Canon, a Saint-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé, in 1996, appointing winemaker Nicolas Audebert as general manager in 2015.
(Press Release)
