Neal Martin releases Burgundy 2017 En Primeur Scores
Neal Martin of Vinous has published a report on Burgundy’s 2017 vintage. The report – which Martin says is large but not yet complete – focuses largely on Burgundy’s red wines.
According to Martin, “the 2017 reds are very good, often excellent and from time to time, bloody awesome”. Of the whites sampled, he noted that “there are some quite brilliant whites that, many growers are beginning to opine, equal or even surpass the haloed 2014s”.
He adds that, “perhaps one disadvantage facing the 2017s is the scarcity of superstars or showstoppers like 2015 and 2016, and potentially 2018 also. It is not that kind of vintage”. However, “the lack of ‘headline action’ or ‘100-point stars’ should not devalue a growing season. Quality is evenly spread and the winners are the consumers gifted more choice”.
Dom Perignon 2008 released
Dom Perignonn has been released to the UK market between £1,200 and £1,240 per case of 12. As Liv-ex reports, it’s already seen a flurry of activity, last trading for £1,402 – a 16% increase on its release price.
Antonio Galloni awarded the wine 98+ points and described it in his tasting notes as “fabulous”, but added that it will need “a number of years” before it is at its best.
According to Liv-ex, prices for Dom Perignon are not closely correlated to critic scores. Instead, vintages have appreciated in price with the passing of time. Based on today’s release price, Dom Perignon 2008 is coming to the market slightly above the price implied by its ‘fair value’ methodology. As such, buyers looking for value may wish to consider the 2003, 2004, and 2005 vintages.
Naples Winter Wine Festival makes historic exception for rare Screaming Eagle
Naples Winter Wine Festival will allow phone bidding for the first time in its 18-year history to accommodate an extremely rare lot of Screaming Eagle.
The lot comprises eight three-litre bottles of Screaming Eagle Winery’s very first Cabernet Sauvignon bottlings, spanning vintages from 1992 to 1999.
Large formats have never been offered for sale by the winery – this is the only known vertical of its kind in existence, purchased in 2001 at Auction Napa Valley. Due to this extremely rare opportunity, the festival will allow phone bidding for the lot, and this lot alone.
The sale will take place on January 26th.
‘Unprecedented’ Penfolds collection to go on sale in Hong Kong
An ‘unprecedented’ collection of Penfolds, including a complete vertical of Grange in magnums from 1979 to 2014, will go under the hammer on January 19th at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong, coinciding with Penfolds’ 175th anniversary this year.
Spanning 36 vintages, the vertical collection will be the first time any auction house has offered a vertical of Penfolds in magnums from the very first vintage of Grange put in the format to the latest release.
Elsewhere, the auction will include historic Penfolds vintages dating back to the 1950s, plus lots of exquisite Burgundies from Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, Domaine Armand Rousseau, Leroy and Henri Jayer.
The sale is expected to realise more than HK$23 million in total.
Sotheby’s to offer ‘superlative’ Swiss wine collection in London
Sotheby’s will kick off its 2019 series of sales in London with a superb Swiss collection of fine wines, featuring more than 1,000 lots of Bordeaux, Burgundy and more.
The collection is boasts large amounts of First and Second Growth claret, with a large array of Mouton Rothschild in a variety of formats spanning 1970 to 2003.
There are also strong verticals of Latour, Margaux, Haut Brion, Pichon Baron, Ducru Beaucaillou, Montrose, Calon Segur, Leoville Las Cases and Pontet Canet.
From Burgundy, there are premiers and grands crus from Armand Rousseau spanning 1990 to 2012, Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, Jadot, Mugnier, Domaine Leroy, Barthod and Gros Frere et Soeur.
Buyers can also expect superb offerings from Hermitage La Chapelle, Yquem and top Italians from Piedmont and Tuscany.
The auction house anticipates the collection realising some £1.5 million when it goes on sale on January 23rd.
