But the Bottom Line Is Still as Red as the Rose

LONDON — In the latest effort to cork Maxwell Communication Corp.’s debt, the late Robert Maxwell’s wine cellar has fetched a better than expected $161,191, the auction house Christie’s said Thursday.

The problem is his empire’s debt exceeds $4 billion.

The more than 3,000 bottles of top French wines and champagnes had been expected to bring less than $139,000. Among the priciest wines, six bottles of Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion, 1961, sold for $2,284.