Rare wines, vintage champagne and works of art from Michel Roux Jr’s recently closed two Michelin-starred London restaurant Le Gavroche are to be auctioned.
More than 100 lots will feature in the Christie’s sale, including porcelain, wine, drawings, silver and decorative objects from the Mayfair restaurant, founded by brothers Michel and Albert Roux in 1967.
The restaurant closed in January after more than half a century of service, after Roux Jr – who is the son of Albert Roux and has run Le Gavroche since 1991 – said he wanted to “spend more time with my family and on my other business ventures”.
Bottles of 2013 vintage Domaine de la Romanee-Conti grand cru, a sought-after Burgundy wine, are expected to sell for between £9,000 and £12,000, Christie’s says on its website.
A painting of a fictional street urchin from Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel Les Miserables, after which the restaurant is named, is estimated at £10,000 to £15,000, while bidding will start at £1,000 for the illuminated sign that hung above the restaurant door.
Roux Jr said the restaurant’s wine cellar had been “lovingly curated for decades” and that the artwork was “of significance to the Roux family and familiar to everyone who has eaten at the restaurant since we first opened”.
The former judge on the BBC’s MasterChef: The Professionals added: “Sadly, we are unable to find a home in our other restaurants and businesses for these iconic pieces, but I am pleased to know that our beloved guests will be able to enjoy a part of Le Gavroche in their homes.”
One last dance 😘 pic.twitter.com/OyaL1GR6IM
— Michel Roux Jr (@michelrouxjr) January 13, 2024
Tim Triptree, Christie’s international director of wine, said the bottles included in the auction are “the finest France has to offer”.
In 1974, Le Gavroche became the first restaurant in the UK to earn a Michelin star, signifying culinary excellency. It received two more, in 1977 and 1982, but lost its third star in 1993.
Celebrity chefs who have worked at the French fine dining venue include Gordon Ramsay, Marco Pierre White and Monica Galetti, according to the restaurant’s website.
The online auction will run from April 10-24.
