‘Encyclopaedic’ collection of wine fine to go on sale in Hong Kong
Auction house Bonhams will offer “one of the most encyclopaedic wine collections in Asia” at its next Hong Kong sale.
The sale, taking place on 20-21 November, is made up of 500 lots comprising more than 2,000 bottles, and is expected to make more than HK$20 million.
The collection comes from Singaporean fine wine lover William Giauw, who spent 30 years putting the cellar together after he first tasted 1982 Mouton Rothschild.
According to Bonhams, the collection contains “almost every type, every important vintage and every classic wine region,” from blue chip Bordeaux and Burgundy to extremely rare one-off cuvees, many of which were never widely released, including as J.L Chave’s 2010 Cuvee Cathelin and Egon Muller’s 1973 TBA Eiswein.
Other highlights of the collection include: five bottles of 1947 Chateau L'Eglise Clinet, 12 bottles of 1969 La Pousse d’Or, Volnay, Clos des 60 Ouvrees, 12 bottles of 1959 Charles Noellat Richebourg and two bottles of 1990 Coche Dury Corton Charlemagne.
David Lam, Bonhams’ director of wine and spirits, Asia, said: “The Collection of A-1 Fine Wines is legendary not just because of its trophy bottles, but also for its all-embracing nature, covering every corner of the landscape of the finest wines. The collection personifies the care, the knowledge and the passion of its visionary owner. It is with great pleasure that Bonhams will present this truly one-of-a-kind collection in its entirety this November.”
Sotheby’s kicks off autumn season with HK$72.8m bonanza
Sotheby’s autumn fine wine season got off to a flying start last weekend in Hong Kong, with a two-cellar sale realising a total HK$72.8 million.
The first session of the sale, covering the wines of entrepreneur Joseph Lau, was 100% sold and at HK$53 million went for more than double its pre-sale estimate. Its top lot was a 12-bottle case of 1990 Romanee-Conti, which sold for HK$3.7 million.
The second session, featuring the collection of an anonymous consignor, was also 100% sold, and made HK$19.8 million. Its top lot was a 12-bottle case of Domaine Leroy’s 1998 Romanee-St-Vivant, which sold for HK$812,500.
Sotheby’s regional head, Adam Bilbey, said the results showed that even with the disruption to the sales calendar caused by the COVID pandemic, collectors in Asia have showed, “no sign of slowing down in their pursuit of the finest wines with exceptional provenance”.
Franco-Italian ‘Sommelier style’ collection goes up for auction
Online auctioneer iDealwine is offering a Franco-Italian wine collection full of rare and highly-sought-after cuvees from ‘grower’ domains.
Featuring more than 1,300 bottles, the French half of the single-owner collection includes top domains from Champagne, the Rhone, Loire, Jura and Beaujolais, with names such as Anselme Selosse, Jamet, Jean-Louis Chave, Clos Rougeard, Didier Dagueneau, Yvon Metras, Ganevat and Domaine de l’Anglore.
From Italy, meanwhile, there is a sizeable contingent of Piedmontese wines from the likes of Bruno Giacosa, Rinaldi and Giacomo Conterno, as well as Barbarescos from Roagna, Brunello from l’Azienda Agricola Cerbaiona and Montepulciano from Vietti, alongside other wines from the Langhe and Friuli.
As the drinks business notes, the collection is interesting in that it represents less of a ‘classic’ fine wine cellar and more of a ‘sommelier’ one, full of the labels and producers whose wines have adorned the lists of the trendiest bars and restaurants across the world.
Ridgeview celebrates 25th anniversary with limited edition release
Sussex winery Ridgeview is celebrating its 25th anniversary with its first new release in a decade. Just 2,600 bottles of the limited edition Ridgeview Oak Reserve NV have been made, with only 1,000 being released in the first instance.
The sparkling wine – which comes with a new label design made of natural cherry wood paper – was created by Ridgeview’s winemaking director Simon Roberts, who used subtle, oak-aged Chardonnays as a key inspiration.
“With careful use of oak-aged Chardonnay, we have created a Ridgeview barrel-fermented sparkling wine,” Roberts explained. “Some of the very best Chardonnay grapes were selected from our home vineyard in Ditchling, planted in 1995.
“I have always loved what delicate oak can bring to Chardonnay and this project has allowed me to explore the additional creaminess from the oak, in harmony with our normal fresh fruit style.”
Ridgeview Oak Reserve NV will retail at £75.
Cos d’Estournel launches ‘legendary vintages’ case
Bordeaux estate Cos d'Estournel is celebrating 20 years of Michel Reybier’s ownership with the release of a limited edition case of its ‘legendary’ vintages.
Each case contains two bottles each of the 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2014 and 2016 vintages, and the purchase of a case – of which just 100 will be available – includes an invitation for four people to visit the estate for lunch.
Hotelier Reybier acquired the St Estephe second growth in 2000, and the six vintages chosen for the case are those that have, “undeniably left their mark on the last two decades of Cos d’Estournel”.
The individually numbered cases will be available from 20 October, priced at £3,830.
