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No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VA… Read more A SUPERB COLLECTION OF FINEST AND RAREST WINES WITH IMPECCABLE PROVENANCE LOTS 1 TO 269 It was in deepest, coldest January, that a team of Christie's specialists bravely battled through snow and freezing fog to arrive at a magnificent residence in the hills above Milan. The wine cellar we were ushered into was a pleasure to behold; stylish, beautifully presented and kept at a constant of 12 degrees and 60 humidity. The collection presented here is the product of one man's lifelong passion for great wine, an enduring fascination that spanned decades and transcended regional and international boundaries. The collector began buying during what could now be called a bygone era; a time when wines of the highest quality represented more than tradeable commodities yielding impressive future results. As you peruse the following 269 lots, you will see that vintages have not been chosen based purely on potential future returns or stellar point scores from popular critics, but on something far more personal. There are superb vintages, interwoven with vintages that were of particular interest to the owner or a number of consecutive vintages that encapsulated a fleeting style within the history of a particular château or Domaine. The collector's taste was impeccable, and comprehensive in its appreciation of the finest wines of Italy and France. To begin on his home soil, we head to the mist-shrouded hills of Piedmont for the finest examples of Nebbiolo. Perhaps the jewel in the crown of his cellar is a collection of Barolo Monfortino Riserva from Giacomo Conterno - a wine thought by many to be the very greatest expression of Nebbiolo. In this sale we have superb vintages of this brooding, muscular giant dating right back to the 1930s. There are also beautiful, rare Barbarescos starting in the 1960s and '70s from Gaja, and fragile older Barolos from Borgogno, Mascarello and Marcarini. Moving South towards Tuscany and the distinctive Brunello from Biondi Santi and Fattoria dei Barbi, as well as the more modern international styles of Sassicaia and Tignanello. The greatest wines of Bordeaux are well represented in this collection, including a good range of all of the first-growths from the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980's, but perhaps the greatest passion for this collector lay in the most delicate, fragrant and complex wines that Burgundy has to offer. Included in this sale is a collection of mature wine from the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, the like of which rarely comes on to the market. There are exceptional vintages from the Domaine including Romanée Conti, La Tâche and Richebourg that date back to the wartime years and continue right through to the late 1970s. Alongside this huge cache of DRC wines there are parcels of remarkable, singular wines such as Charmes-Chambertin 1962 from Bouchard Père et Fils, or a pristine, full case of Musigny Vieilles Vignes from De Vogüé. This collection represents a unique opportunity for buyers to access some of the finest examples of European wine making from the last half-century. After being hand-picked by the collector, these wines have remained undisturbed in his beautiful cellar, in northern Italy, until recent shipment to London for sale. In the current climate where provenance means everything, there can be few finer opportunities for the shrewd wine lover. Recently removed from an impeccable temperature and humidity-controlled cellar in Northern Italy and now lying at EHD (Weybridge).
Château Latour--Vintage 1948 Discoloured capsule. Italian import strip label, slightly bin-soiled label. Level mid-shoulder(1) Château Latour--Vintage 1960 Slightly discoloured capsules. Bin-soiled labels, one damaged. Levels: two top, one upper, one mid, two low-shoulder(6) Château Margaux--Vintage 1964 Corroded capsules. Italian import strip labels, slightly bin-soiled and faded labels. Levels: two top, one upper-shoulder(3) Château Margaux--Vintage 1966 Corroded capsules. Italian import strip labels, slightly bin-soiled and faded labels. Level mid-shoulder(1)

Above 11 bottles per lot
Details
FINE AND MATURE BORDEAUX
Château Latour--Vintage 1948
Discoloured capsule. Italian import strip label, slightly bin-soiled label. Level mid-shoulder(1)
Château Latour--Vintage 1960
Slightly discoloured capsules. Bin-soiled labels, one damaged. Levels: two top, one upper, one mid, two low-shoulder(6)
Château Margaux--Vintage 1964
Corroded capsules. Italian import strip labels, slightly bin-soiled and faded labels. Levels: two top, one upper-shoulder(3)
Château Margaux--Vintage 1966
Corroded capsules. Italian import strip labels, slightly bin-soiled and faded labels. Level mid-shoulder(1)
Above 11 bottles per lot
Special notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium, which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

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Antonia Essex
Antonia Essex
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