Christie’s sherry auction hammer prices rival Bordeaux and Burgundy

By Andrew Catchpole

Published: 01 July, 2026

A lot of González Byass Matusalem sherries from 1908, 1909 and 1911 achieved £4,750 at a recent Fine and Rare Wines and Spirits auction at Christie’s – a price more typically associated with top Bordeaux and Burgundy.

The sale, which comprised wines dating from 1846 through to 2023 from the bodega’s newly opened Historical Archive of wine, was aimed at raising the ‘fine wine’ status of rare and old sherries.

Chosen by Christie's international director of wines & spirits Tim Triptree MW, the lots of sherry also included special bottlings such as Pio IX 1846 and González Byass Oloroso 1886, plus a six-bottle vertical of the Tío Pepe Palmas series, and achieved a 100% sell-through rate during the online bidding from 5 June to 19 June.

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González Byass UK’s MD Melissa Draycott said of the sale: “Selling a collection of historic sherries at auction is a dream that has been nearly three years in the making following a trip to Jerez with Tim Triptree MW of Christie’s in 2023.

“The Matusalem Vertical 1908-1911 lot are the most expensive bottles of sherry González Byass has ever sold in its 191-year history. We were thrilled to see the sherries attracting similar or higher prices than lots of Premier Cru Bordeaux.”

Harpers visited the newly opened Historical Archive with Triptree just ahead of the auction, where González Byass president Mauricio González-Gordon explained that the collaboration “will help us showcase the enormous qualitative potential that some sherry wines develop over time”, while aiming to position sherry firmly in the fine wine firmament.

Following the auction, Triptree said: “We are thrilled to see these exceptionally rare sherries, offered directly from the historic cellars of González Byass, perform so strongly. The González Byass Historical Archive collection sales demonstrate strong demand among collectors for wines of exceptional rarity, provenance and historical significance.”

Draycott added: “Over the last decade we’ve seen an increase in sales of premium sherries in the UK and this auction builds on this momentum, reaffirming the growing interest amongst consumers and collectors for wines from Spain.”

Many of the wines presented had never been released to the market, with that rarity clearly inspiring bidders.

González-Gordon told Harpers in Jerez: “Christie’s gives us the opportunity to share some of these liquid relics with the world. It is a privilege to open to an international audience part of our historic legacy and of the largest collection of bottled sherries in the world.”

For more on both the auction initiative and González Byass, look out for our interview with Mauricio González-Gordon and winemaker Antonio Flores in the July issue of Harpers.

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