A NOTE ON THE NICOLAS RESERVES.Although the famous French wine retail firm Nicolas was founded in 1822, it was only after World War One that the energetic Etienne Nicolas guided the firm through a major expansion, and purchased the quarries in Charenton outside of Paris which were to house the substantial reserve stocks of Bordeaux and other French wines acquired by the firm. The Charenton quarries were on two underground levels, and maintained a naturally constant temperature of 13 degrees centigrade (about 55 degrees F) and humidity of 80 percent..In good vintages Nicolas purchased 5-10,000 bottles from selected grand cru Bordeaux chateau (less for a chateau such as Petrus which would supply about 1200 bottles), which would be delivered to Nicolas without labels or capsules (at least until the early 1980's) and stacked in enourmous bins. The capacity of the Caves was 12,000,000 bottles; in the mid-1980's they contained over 7,000,000 bottles, of which almost 2,000,000 were of "Grand Vin" quality...Every three to four years each wine in the Reserve program would be tasted, and a decision would be made on the number of bottles to be released for sale over the subsequent several years. Nicolas staff applied chateau-supplied labels and capsules (which were usually sent along with the wine) just before bottles were released for sale..Nicolas had a policy of recorking all Reserve wines every 25 years, using an elaborate procedure involving nitrogen gas which prevented any wine from being exposed to oxygen in the process. A team of six people were employed to refill and recork the wines, and could proceed at a rate of about 300 bottles a day...Many wine collectors treasure the Nicolas "deluxe" catalogues,the best of which were published between 1928 and World War II. These catalogues, typically art deco, were a marvel of style and presentation and are perhaps the most elegant wine lists ever produced. Part of the French Christmas celebration was ordering fine wines out of these catalogues through the neighborhood Nicolas shop...In 1984 Nicolas was sold to Remy Martin, who in turn sold the franchise in 1988 to the negociant Castel Freres, but not the Nicolas stock. In 1988 the Charenton quarries were due to be closed and re-flooded. Most Reserve wines (except stocks already prepared for market) were re-conditioned in 1988 by Nicolas and placed in plain wooden cases stamped with the name of the chateau and the vintage. They were then transported to Bordeaux, where they were placed under the control of the Remy subsidiary de Luze. A substantial portion of the remaining Reserves were dispersed soon afterwards through respected European brokers to a number of top wine collectors worldwide...Nicolas Reserves may be seen in several guises. If labelled prior to the early 1980's they will have chateau-supplied labels stamped with the red Nicolas rosette. The rosette was not stamped onto labels applied after the early 1980's; instead a small Nicolas label was affixed just below the capsule. Nicolas Reserve wines in full case format will usually appear in the plain stamped wooden cases used for the 1988 move: original chateau wooden cases were not employed by Nicolas. Bottles reconditioned and prepared for shipment at Charenton in 1988 may not bear a Nicolas label, however corks branded with the vintage, Chateau, and "Rebouché en 1988" along with the plain stamped wooden case help to establish the Nicolas provenance. A number of wines recorked in 1985 by Nicolas were also part of this dispersal; "Rebouché en 1985" will be stamped on the cork. In addition, Remy decided to send some ex-Nicolas wines back to the chateaux for reconditioning in 1989. In full case format the wines will still be in the plain wooden cases, and the labels will indicate the date of reconditioning at the chateaux (most likely 1989). The Nicolas name will not appear as the wines were then under the ownership of Remy...The importance of establishing Nicolas provenance is to receive a virtual guarantee that the wine was stored in impeccable conditions until it was released for sale. What is unusual about the Nicolas Reserve wines offered in the collection in this catalogue is not just the provenance but the fact that the date of release and sale (1989 and 1990) is known and that the wines have been stored impeccably since that time as well..
Château Beychevelle--Vintage 1928
Details
Château Beychevelle--Vintage 1928
.Saint-Julien, 4me cru classé.
.Lot AAA Ex-Nicolas. In wooden case, with Nicolas-stamped labels.
.Lot AAA levels: eight bottom neck or better, two top, one just below top shoulder. One slightly soiled label, others superb.
.Lot BBB eight bottom neck or better, two top, two just below top shoulder. Bin soiled labels, six slightly torn. One capsule removed to permit verification of Chateau branding and vintage.
."Deep; pungent; nicely constructed. Rich, ripe, attractive." GVWB
.11 bottles per lot
.
.Saint-Julien, 4me cru classé.
.Lot AAA Ex-Nicolas. In wooden case, with Nicolas-stamped labels.
.Lot AAA levels: eight bottom neck or better, two top, one just below top shoulder. One slightly soiled label, others superb.
.Lot BBB eight bottom neck or better, two top, two just below top shoulder. Bin soiled labels, six slightly torn. One capsule removed to permit verification of Chateau branding and vintage.
."Deep; pungent; nicely constructed. Rich, ripe, attractive." GVWB
.11 bottles per lot
.