The four leading auction houses are hoping to round off a fine 2011 with some strong sales of Bordeaux and Burgundy next month.

One of the most intriguing offerings is the collection of 816 bottles of Chateau Lafite Rothschild, which are going under the hammer at Christie's on December the 1st and 2nd.

The wines, which cover vintages between 1998 and 2008, belong to the cellar of Sir Evelyn de Rothschild, and have remained untouched in the cellar of Lafite since bottling.

David Elswood, international head of wine at Christie's, told the Drinks Business: "It is rare to offer such a wide range of exciting vintages in bottle, magnum and double-magnum direct from the reserve cellars of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild."

Prices for individual lots start at £6,000, while the whole collection is expected to raise around £850,000.

One lot that hopes to achieve something like that on its own is a 55-bottle vertical of top Burgundy wine Domaine de la Romanee-Conti.

Starting in 1957, the collection proceeds to 2007 with the only gap coming in 1968, when no wine was made at the prestigious vineyard.

It will go on sale in Hong Kong at the Acker Merrall and Condit on December 10th. With interest in Burgundy - and Romanee-Conti in particular - surging in the Far East, Acker chief executive officer Steve Kapon was moved to tell the Drinks Business: "If there ever were to be a million-dollar lot, it could certainly be this one."

Back in London, the wines of Italy, including Barolo and Barbaresco, will feature heavily in the Bonhams December 1st sale, while Bordeaux "super seconds" will be the main draw at Sotheby's final sale of the year on December 7th.