Chateau Margaux 1787 (Jefferson Bottle)
$225,000 for a bottle allegedly owned by Thomas Jefferson — the most controversial sale in wine history.
A bottle of Chateau Margaux 1787, believed to have belonged to Thomas Jefferson during his time as American minister to France, sold at Christie's London in 1987 for $225,000 — the highest price ever paid for a single bottle at that time, exceeding the 1945 Mouton Rothschild's eventual auction price by $85,700 in 1997 dollars when adjusted for inflation. The bottle was engraved 'Th.J' and part of a cellar discovered in Paris. Jefferson, a famous wine enthusiast, ordered roughly 360 bottles of Bordeaux for the White House during his presidency. The authenticity of these 'Jefferson bottles' has been disputed, making this sale the most contentious in auction history.
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