1 bottle per lot
Details
1934 DOMAINE DE LA ROMANIE-CONTI, RICHEBOURG VIEUX CÉPAGES IN PRISTINE CONDITION
FROM THE COLLECTION OF DR. SALVATORE LUCIA
As confirmed by Aubert de Villaine, DRC's Richebourg was bottled under two separate cuvées in the 1920s and 1930s. This separate bottling of the Domaine's 1934 harvest of its oldest vines is one of the rarest bottles in the centuries long history of DRC. I can only think that locating a bottle of the Domaine's Les Gaudichots would be a more difficult task. ST
PROVENANCE OF THIS BOTTLE
The following is a brief excerpt from the manual typewritten Draper & Esquin Wine Merchant catalogue from the fall of 1985 describing the provenance of this bottle:
"The scope of the Burgundy inventory, alone, is awe-inspiring. To our knowledge this is the largest single offering of so many great Burgundies to be made in this country. There are over 30 cases of wine from the thirties and forties, including the rarest Burgundy of this century, 1945 Romanee-Conti.
The name of the man who collected these wines will have been recognized by many of you at first glance. Dr. Lucia was one of the most prominent physicians in the country. A native San Franciscan, he graduated from the University of California at Berkeley. Later he became a full Professor of Medicine and of Preventative Medicine, a department he established and chaired for 26 years at the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco. He was also a lecturer in Medical History and Bibliography. As a world authority on disease of the blood, he published more than 200 articles and papers on related subjects. He was fluent in five languages, an ability that no doubt served him well as President of the Pan-American Medical Association.
Particularly relevant to us was Dr. Lucia's fascination with wine. That he was extremely knowledgeable about wines will be obvious to anyone who peruses these pages, but he did a lot more than collect. He was recognized as an international authority on wine and particularly on its effects on the body. He authored eight pioneering books on the subject, including: Wine as Food and Medicine, A History of Wine as Therapy, Alcohol and Civilization, Wine and Health, and The Wine Diet Cookbook. Not surprisingly, he was Director of Medical Research for the California Wine Advisory Board. He was also founder of the Society of the Medical Friends of Wine. He was personally responsible for the establishment of an extensive wine library at the University of California at San Francisco, the first of its kind. He was known as a very discriminating winetaster and served as a Wine Judge for many years at the California State Fair. Because he was a connoisseur of fine cuisine as well he was a member of the Wine and Food Society of San Francisco. He was also a Chevalier in the Confrerie des Chevaliers de Tastevin. It is indeed a privilege to present the lifelong collection of such a man to you.
As one would expect, Dr. Lucia's wines were stored under superb conditions. Our tastings throughout the inventory more than assured us of the integrity of the cellar.
Draper & Esquin, Established 1972
Property of a Gentleman
Recently removed from a temperature and humidity controlled private cellar
Richebourg, Vieux Cepages--Vintage 1934
Côte de Nuits, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
Level: very high fill 5cm underneath wax capsule; Domaine embossed wax capsule with vineyard and vieux cepages designation, Pristine label, Bellows & Company, Inc importer slips
1 bottle per lot
FROM THE COLLECTION OF DR. SALVATORE LUCIA
As confirmed by Aubert de Villaine, DRC's Richebourg was bottled under two separate cuvées in the 1920s and 1930s. This separate bottling of the Domaine's 1934 harvest of its oldest vines is one of the rarest bottles in the centuries long history of DRC. I can only think that locating a bottle of the Domaine's Les Gaudichots would be a more difficult task. ST
PROVENANCE OF THIS BOTTLE
The following is a brief excerpt from the manual typewritten Draper & Esquin Wine Merchant catalogue from the fall of 1985 describing the provenance of this bottle:
"The scope of the Burgundy inventory, alone, is awe-inspiring. To our knowledge this is the largest single offering of so many great Burgundies to be made in this country. There are over 30 cases of wine from the thirties and forties, including the rarest Burgundy of this century, 1945 Romanee-Conti.
The name of the man who collected these wines will have been recognized by many of you at first glance. Dr. Lucia was one of the most prominent physicians in the country. A native San Franciscan, he graduated from the University of California at Berkeley. Later he became a full Professor of Medicine and of Preventative Medicine, a department he established and chaired for 26 years at the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco. He was also a lecturer in Medical History and Bibliography. As a world authority on disease of the blood, he published more than 200 articles and papers on related subjects. He was fluent in five languages, an ability that no doubt served him well as President of the Pan-American Medical Association.
Particularly relevant to us was Dr. Lucia's fascination with wine. That he was extremely knowledgeable about wines will be obvious to anyone who peruses these pages, but he did a lot more than collect. He was recognized as an international authority on wine and particularly on its effects on the body. He authored eight pioneering books on the subject, including: Wine as Food and Medicine, A History of Wine as Therapy, Alcohol and Civilization, Wine and Health, and The Wine Diet Cookbook. Not surprisingly, he was Director of Medical Research for the California Wine Advisory Board. He was also founder of the Society of the Medical Friends of Wine. He was personally responsible for the establishment of an extensive wine library at the University of California at San Francisco, the first of its kind. He was known as a very discriminating winetaster and served as a Wine Judge for many years at the California State Fair. Because he was a connoisseur of fine cuisine as well he was a member of the Wine and Food Society of San Francisco. He was also a Chevalier in the Confrerie des Chevaliers de Tastevin. It is indeed a privilege to present the lifelong collection of such a man to you.
As one would expect, Dr. Lucia's wines were stored under superb conditions. Our tastings throughout the inventory more than assured us of the integrity of the cellar.
Draper & Esquin, Established 1972
Property of a Gentleman
Recently removed from a temperature and humidity controlled private cellar
Richebourg, Vieux Cepages--Vintage 1934
Côte de Nuits, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
Level: very high fill 5cm underneath wax capsule; Domaine embossed wax capsule with vineyard and vieux cepages designation, Pristine label, Bellows & Company, Inc importer slips
1 bottle per lot
Provenance
Purchased 23 September 1985 from the wine cellar of the late Salvatore Lucia, M.D., D.Sc., of San Francisco as represented by wine merchants Draper & Esquin of San Francisco. Copies of the Original Draper & Esquin catalogue and sales receipt verified and available for review upon request.