iDealwine is home to a world first, with 10 NFT magnums of Château Edmus up for auction, each adorned with a unique artwork designed by tattoo artist Dimitri Hk. These lots are equipped with an NFT WineDex chip, the blockchain for fine wine. Don’t miss this momentous event!
iDealwine is proud to host an auction for 10 magnums of Château Edmus’ 2021 PHi cuvée. Each bottle has a unique label designed by tattoo artist Dimitri Hk, as well as an NFT WineDex chip ensuring the magnum’s authenticity and traceability via the blockchain; this also links the bottle to its one-of-a-kind artwork. Projects linking art to wine via an NFT already exist; what’s new here is the auctioning of bottles directly equipped with an NFT chip, rather than the bottle itself on the one hand and the NFT on the other.
Château Edmus, a phoenix from the ashes
The original traces of Château Edmus go back to 1730, when a certain Jacques de Canolle planted a vineyard. Even at this time, Château Edmus’ wine sold for 3 to 4 times the price of its neighbours, proof of the distinctive nature of its terroir.
In the 19th century, the domain was taken up by the Lur-Saluces family, also owners of the famous Château d’Yquem. From this point on, the quality and reputation of the estate only improved. As time has gone on, less and less wine has been produced at the Château, whilst attention to detail has become increasingly important. This has brought about a kind of renaissance, with the phoenix coming to symbolise the estate alongside its motto ‘Renascetur Gloriosius’.
In 2007, Philip Edmundson and Eric Remus bought the 5.8 hectares of vines, and Stéphane Derenoncourt was brought in for consultations on vinification and ageing. In 2019, it was Laurent David’s turn to take up the torch, this time just the finest parcel of 1.6 hectares. Enthused by wine and technology, this innovator has committed to a natural way of doing things, with the estate now labelled ‘organic’ and inspired by biodynamic methods.
PHi 2021, an organic and natural Saint-Emilion
The Phi cuvée is a single-parcel Saint-Emilion wine made from 40-year-old Cabernet Franc vines that grow in a sand-rich terroir. It is distinctive for a Saint-Emilion wine to be made entirely from this grape variety, and the vinification it undergoes is entirely natural (no additives, no sulphur). It matures in Beaune concrete eggs. It must be said that Stéphane Derenoncourt and Romain Bocchio go to great lengths to produce this cuvée, featuring characteristics you’ll rarely find elsewhere in the appellation, or even in Bordeaux at large!
We got to taste the 2021 Edmus cuvée earlier this year, presented by Stéphane Derenoncourt himself. This Saint-Emilion was instantly charming on the nose, with a palate of ripe fruit, prunes, and a really fresh underscore. Its spiciness and depth are nicely balanced by a certain minerality.
Unique artwork by Dimitri Hk
Each of the 10 magnums is adorned with a unique label designed by tattoo artist Dimitri Hk. The artwork was inspired by the Art Nouveau style, and particularly the movement’s leader Alphonse Mucha. The bottles come with a print copy and an NFT version of their artwork, which is limited to just 20 magnums of the 2021 PHi cuvée. That half of them are up for auction at iDealwine is a fantastic opportunity!
NFT WineDex chips
These bottles are equipped with a WineDex NFT chip, WineDex being a blockchain for fine wine. This is a project we developed with Synvance, and we’ve put chips onto over 8,000 bottles already. These NFTs are an innovation in authenticity, creating smart contracts linked to the bottle that cannot be falsified, hence applying a form of digital traceability to the wine in question. What’s new for these Edmus bottles is that, among the digital information on the chip, you’ll find the unique artwork too. Note that, for now, this is a private blockchain, meaning that the NFT cannot be traded on open source apps or sites.
These bottles also come with a free five-year storage contract as part of our recently launched wine storage service. If you’re a winning bidder, you might therefore like to simply receive the NFT via your WineDex app, store the bottle for free in iDealwine’s perfectly adapted cellar, then have the bottle shipped only when you wish to uncork it!
