The new decade's early auctions have begun with a bang, with Acker Merrall & Condit's first Hong Kong auction of 2010 grossing US$7.6m in back-to-back sales on 29 and 30 January.

In Chicago, Hart Davis Hart's first 2010 sale brought in $US3.54m on 30 January.

Acker's lots were 99.6% sold, and Hart Davis Hart's were 100% sold.

The weekend's highlight was Acker's sale of 69 lots of the personal collection of Henri Jayer, the Burgundy producer, which generated US$1.17m.

They were provided by Martine Saunier, Jayer's US importer.

A superlot of Sine Qua Non made US$138,351 ?well over double its US$60,000 high estimate.

The lot consisted of 5 half-bottles, 92 regular bottles, 17 magnums and 7 double magnums and may have been the largest single Sine Qua Non lot ever presented at auction.

John Kapon, Acker's president, said, 'We saw particularly strong participation by Hong Kong, mainland Chinese and Taiwanese buyers.'
 

He predicted that this year Hong Kong would become 'the world's leading wine auction center.'

At Hart Davis Hart, six magnums of 1982 Pétrus fetched US$71,700, double the lot's high estimate.

A case of 1990 La Tâche, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti fetched US$65,725, while a case of 1982 Lafite Rothschild drew US$41,825. Both sold for well over their high estimates.