12 bottles perlot
Details
Dear Client,
It is an honour to present to you the magnificent cellar that we bring to market today. Our Parisian collector is a man of the most discerning taste, who has carefully over the decades amassed an extraordinary cellar that is nearly perfect in every way.
The first important thing to emphasize is that the provenance and condition of the wines is faultless - due to his connections, our collector received allocations directly from the ch?teaux in Bordeaux without any intermediaries. The wines were carefully transported and stored with great attention to every detail in each of three residences. A few photos included here will give an idea of the order in which this collection was maintained. A few wines were put on racks for easy drinking, but the majority of them are in the original wooden cases.
The selection of wines is a comprehensive one. In fact, this cellar could easily function as a survey of the entire Bordeaux region. The wines have been chosen with a knowing eye toward which vintages are best for each ch?teau. No indiscriminate purchases here - what we see is an enlightened and passionate collector investigating the broad spectrum of flavors associated with the Bordeaux region: traditional styles, modern styles, red, white, sweet and dry - every type of wine is represented by its own particular "best in class". Christie's clients today have the opportunity to benefit from our collector's decades of connoisseurship - enjoy!
Regards,
Charles Curtis MW
Head of Wine, Asia
Behind every great collection lies the heart of a passionate collector, and in the case of this exceptional ensemble of great wines from the Bordeaux region, the passion goes back to the earliest childhood.
Born into a family of wine producers with an estate in Southwest France, this European amateur grew up amidst vats and barrels, and was able to appreciate first hand the extraordinary work that goes behind wine production. He saw the physical hardship, as well as the repetitive nature of the process, which is conducted exactly in the same way, year after year. Above all, he realized how completely dependent on nature winemaking remains. Each and every step in the process is reliant on the weather and natural elements, such as the sun, the wind, the earth, the rain, the cold or the frost, which will all leave their imprint on the taste and quality of the wine. The conditions can seem perfect to produce a great vintage, yet an entire harvest can be ruined by a hailstorm in just a few hours. Furthermore, no matter the final selling price of the bottle, the work and the challenges remain the same. One can only be completely passionate to get involved in such a business! It is this common passion, shared by all those in the wine industry, which fascinated the collector in his early years and led him to put together an important cellar, of which several great wines are presented here.
All the bottles come from the region of Bordeaux, which soon became the collector's favourite. Indeed, while he feels it is possible to produce some excellent white wines all over the world, from Australia to South Africa, California and naturally many parts of Europe, the Bordeaux region benefits from the most perfect conditions of sun, wind and water. Nowhere else do they have the same quality and balance. This has made it a very privileged area, with beautiful "ch?teaux" and historic Grands Crus, which the collector has had great pleasure in exploring. Thus he established close friendships with many owners of mythical wines, from Haut-Brion to Montrose, P?trus, and especially Latour, who were generous enough to set aside for him large allocations of some of the greatest vintages. This is the other great characteristic of this collection: all the wines have been bought directly from the producers and then stored in state-of-the-art cellars in order to preserve their quality. They are exactly the same as when they were first bottled and have been preserved from even the slightest thermal shock, temperature change or unwanted humidity. Taking advantage of the latest technological innovations, the cellars were entirely computerised to ensure optimal conditions. This also enabled the owner to know precisely when it was best to drink each of his wines!
Amongst the greatest vinous experiences for our collector is the Cheval Blanc 1947, which he considers the finest wine of all. He was fortunate enough to acquire a few bottles from the Duc de Luynes, whose father, Philippe (1905-1993) had purchased a vast quantity at the time, in the hope of shipping it to the Jockey Club in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was not able to do so, so the stock remained in the hands of the family. In the owner's collection, only one bottle is left, which he will now keep. But the rest was acquired to be drunk and enjoyed. We are certain that some of the wines on offer in this catalogue will some day equal the emotion of the legendary '47 Cheval.
The collector's passion is now shared with his son and stepsons, and the paring down of the collection is only to make room for more great vintages of exceptional quality. The fascination remains the same and so is the admiration for all those working so hard to produce, year after year, these extraordinary wines.
Château Lafite-Rothschild--Vintage 1986
Pauillac, 1er cru classé. Château-bottled
In original wooden case
Levels: All into neck; excellent appearance
"The '86 Lafite was a bit closed at first, and when it began to open seemed surprisingly evolved, with signs of maturity, not incommensurate with age, but nevertheless showing developed cigar box and cocoa aromas on the nose. On the palate there was great intensity and verve after an initial reticence followed by a lovely finish. Delicious wine." CC, November 2009
12 bottles perlot
It is an honour to present to you the magnificent cellar that we bring to market today. Our Parisian collector is a man of the most discerning taste, who has carefully over the decades amassed an extraordinary cellar that is nearly perfect in every way.
The first important thing to emphasize is that the provenance and condition of the wines is faultless - due to his connections, our collector received allocations directly from the ch?teaux in Bordeaux without any intermediaries. The wines were carefully transported and stored with great attention to every detail in each of three residences. A few photos included here will give an idea of the order in which this collection was maintained. A few wines were put on racks for easy drinking, but the majority of them are in the original wooden cases.
The selection of wines is a comprehensive one. In fact, this cellar could easily function as a survey of the entire Bordeaux region. The wines have been chosen with a knowing eye toward which vintages are best for each ch?teau. No indiscriminate purchases here - what we see is an enlightened and passionate collector investigating the broad spectrum of flavors associated with the Bordeaux region: traditional styles, modern styles, red, white, sweet and dry - every type of wine is represented by its own particular "best in class". Christie's clients today have the opportunity to benefit from our collector's decades of connoisseurship - enjoy!
Regards,
Charles Curtis MW
Head of Wine, Asia
Behind every great collection lies the heart of a passionate collector, and in the case of this exceptional ensemble of great wines from the Bordeaux region, the passion goes back to the earliest childhood.
Born into a family of wine producers with an estate in Southwest France, this European amateur grew up amidst vats and barrels, and was able to appreciate first hand the extraordinary work that goes behind wine production. He saw the physical hardship, as well as the repetitive nature of the process, which is conducted exactly in the same way, year after year. Above all, he realized how completely dependent on nature winemaking remains. Each and every step in the process is reliant on the weather and natural elements, such as the sun, the wind, the earth, the rain, the cold or the frost, which will all leave their imprint on the taste and quality of the wine. The conditions can seem perfect to produce a great vintage, yet an entire harvest can be ruined by a hailstorm in just a few hours. Furthermore, no matter the final selling price of the bottle, the work and the challenges remain the same. One can only be completely passionate to get involved in such a business! It is this common passion, shared by all those in the wine industry, which fascinated the collector in his early years and led him to put together an important cellar, of which several great wines are presented here.
All the bottles come from the region of Bordeaux, which soon became the collector's favourite. Indeed, while he feels it is possible to produce some excellent white wines all over the world, from Australia to South Africa, California and naturally many parts of Europe, the Bordeaux region benefits from the most perfect conditions of sun, wind and water. Nowhere else do they have the same quality and balance. This has made it a very privileged area, with beautiful "ch?teaux" and historic Grands Crus, which the collector has had great pleasure in exploring. Thus he established close friendships with many owners of mythical wines, from Haut-Brion to Montrose, P?trus, and especially Latour, who were generous enough to set aside for him large allocations of some of the greatest vintages. This is the other great characteristic of this collection: all the wines have been bought directly from the producers and then stored in state-of-the-art cellars in order to preserve their quality. They are exactly the same as when they were first bottled and have been preserved from even the slightest thermal shock, temperature change or unwanted humidity. Taking advantage of the latest technological innovations, the cellars were entirely computerised to ensure optimal conditions. This also enabled the owner to know precisely when it was best to drink each of his wines!
Amongst the greatest vinous experiences for our collector is the Cheval Blanc 1947, which he considers the finest wine of all. He was fortunate enough to acquire a few bottles from the Duc de Luynes, whose father, Philippe (1905-1993) had purchased a vast quantity at the time, in the hope of shipping it to the Jockey Club in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was not able to do so, so the stock remained in the hands of the family. In the owner's collection, only one bottle is left, which he will now keep. But the rest was acquired to be drunk and enjoyed. We are certain that some of the wines on offer in this catalogue will some day equal the emotion of the legendary '47 Cheval.
The collector's passion is now shared with his son and stepsons, and the paring down of the collection is only to make room for more great vintages of exceptional quality. The fascination remains the same and so is the admiration for all those working so hard to produce, year after year, these extraordinary wines.
Château Lafite-Rothschild--Vintage 1986
Pauillac, 1er cru classé. Château-bottled
In original wooden case
Levels: All into neck; excellent appearance
"The '86 Lafite was a bit closed at first, and when it began to open seemed surprisingly evolved, with signs of maturity, not incommensurate with age, but nevertheless showing developed cigar box and cocoa aromas on the nose. On the palate there was great intensity and verve after an initial reticence followed by a lovely finish. Delicious wine." CC, November 2009
12 bottles perlot
Brought to you by
Fai Lo