iDealwine opens bidding on cellar of ‘Bordeaux legends’
Online auctioneer iDealwine has launched a sale featuring a large private collection built around Bordeaux icons, large formats and ‘special Sauternes’.
More than 1,200 bottles from the private collector are on offer now, with bidding due to close on 24th September. Highlights include blue chip claret from great vintages such as 1989 Lafite Rothschild, 1990 Vieux Chateau Certan, 1989 Chateau Lafleur and Petrus from 1988, 1995, 1996 and 2005.
There is also a large selection of Sauternes on offer, including bottles of 1989, 1990, 1995 and 2001 Chateau d'Yquem and 1996 and 1997 Lafaurie-Peyraguey, as well as magnums from Petrus, Lafite, Haut Brion and Pavie.
Cyrille Jomand, CEO of iDealwine, said: “Every auction is a pleasure, but it is even more satisfying to see this truly superior collection go under the hammer. Not only is it exceptional in quantity – 1,291 bottles from a single cellar – it is also remarkable in the vintages, domains, and formats on offer. We expect wine lovers all over the world to check in to our online platform for this unique selection, choosing wines that can’t be found anywhere else.”
‘Fabulous’ Vérité 2017s released
Despite a close call with the devastating Tubbs wildfire spreading across California’s Sonoma County, the Vérité 2017 range has been released to much acclaim.
The three wines – La Muse, La Joie and Le Desir, made by Jackson Family Wines – were harvested in ‘perfect conditions’ just a week before the fire took hold. Had the fire arrived any sooner the wines would have certainly been affected by smoke taint.
In the event, however, critic Antonio Galloni has called the wines “off the charts fabulous”, while The Wine Advocate’s editor, Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, said: “These 2017s from Vérité stand out among the top wines of this vintage – not just in terms of scores, but styles. Unlike a lot of the 2017 Bordeaux-variety wines from Sonoma and Napa, these wines do not appear at all forced or contrived. There is a seemingly effortless brightness about them.”
La Joie is based around a classic Bordeaux blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot. Le Desir is 80% Cabernet Franc, 17% and 3% Malbec, while La Muse is, for the first time, 100% Merlot, with winemaker Pierre Seillan claiming, “I think it’s the best I’ve ever made”.
Enoteca Pinchiorri auction makes £3.15m
The sale of historic vintages and other top wines from the cellars of famous Italian restaurant Enoteca Pinchiorri saw fierce bidding and ultimately realised £3.15 million, according to auction house Zachys.
The sale – the first for Zachys in Europe – saw 864 lots from the three-star Michelin restaurant in Florence go under the hammer. The auction achieved more than double its pre-sale estimate, setting 226 world records in the process.
Highlights included: a bottle of Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1945, which sold for £9,920; a bottle of Petrus 1945, which sold for £9,300; and bottle of Petrus’ fabled 1926, which went for £5,456.
In terms of more recent vintages, an imperial of Petrus 2009 sold for £42,160 – significantly above its high estimate of £24,000. Three bottles of Henri Jayer Cros Parantoux 1985, meanwhile, fetched £74,400, nearly double its pre-sale high estimate of £40,000.
“We’re delighted with the results of our European debut,” said Christy Erickson, head of Zachys’ Europe division. “This auction shows that the fine-wine auction industry is still booming, and our buyers’ appetite for quality shows no sign of slowing.”
Younger buyers turn their attention to fine wine
Auction house Sotheby’s has released its mid-year report, and alongside the usual statistics, it appears that a curious trend is emerging: bidders are getting younger.
Some 20% of bidders at wine and spirits sales this year have been new, with 50% of them in their 20s and 30s. Meanwhile, 30-to-40 year-olds have made up 60% of all new bidders. Overall, bidders under 50 have contributed 50% of the total amount bid in Hong Kong Wine sales, and account for 75% of first time bidders in New York wine sales.
Elsewhere, the report indicates that Asia continues to be the main driver of sales for Sotheby’s wine, while Burgundy – propelled by Domaine de la Romanee-Conti – continues to be the leading category overall, accounting for 46% of total sales by value.
