This private collection is an impressive one! The cellar we now have the privilege to enjoy is brimming with some of the finest from Bordeaux (Petrus), Burgundy (DRC, Leroy, Armand Rousseau…) and the Rhône (Rayas, Pegaü…), almost all acquired directly from the domains themselves or en primeur, and perfectly preserved in a professional storage cellar.

A private collection auction is always an exceptional event with much anticipation from wine lovers. It’s also quite a big moment for the seller who is often parting ways with a significant proportion of their wine stock. This time, the seller tells us that he is seeing over half of his cellar go to other enthusiasts, though he isn’t too saddened by the occasion since he still has plenty left over for himself and to pass on to his children. In his quest for an ‘accomplished’ cellar, his eyes were a little bit too big for his stomach and has found himself with rather too many bottles. “I now have a cellar that is way more than anything I could consume, so I want to rationalise my collection by selling half of it on.” He had intended to drink the bottles that he bought, as is evidenced by the fact that he hasn’t kept the original cases they came in. They have been kept in perfect condition and afficionados from all over will be impressed by the fine selection.

Who is the seller?

Whilst we’ll of course be keeping his identity secret, know that we’re talking about a wine enthusiast whose passion began to unfold at the age of 25. He grew up in a family where wine was enjoyed together, and whilst they didn’t have their own cellar, this set him up for a lifetime of love for the drink. His excitement about wine grew all the more as he found friends with the same interest, some of whom have made wine their career. “We would buy wine together, as well as going to discover domains in Burgundy and the Rhône”, he recounts “this shared passion really brought us together.” He started off buying Bordeaux wines en primeur during the 2000s, before looking to Burgundy and the Rhône, now owning a cellar with bottles from all over.

We asked him about his favourite tasting memories, and he recounted the times he has been lucky enough to try cuvées from Domaine Leroy. “That’s where I had some real epiphanies. I haven’t had many opportunities to go there, but each time has been epic, each tasting was magical, I almost can’t put it into words. And getting to know the domain made it all the more special as an experience. Aside from Burgundy, the Rhône has also provided some wonderful moments. I appreciate the quality of the wines made there, especially when you consider the prices. I’m not forgetting about Bordeaux, I will always love those wines, it’s just that I don’t feel the same magic as I do in Burgundy. It’s true that I haven’t visited Bordeaux’ vineyards very often.”

What’s in his cellar?

Most of the dreamy wines you’ll find in the catalogue are from the 2000s, but there are a few from after 1995 and some as recent as 2017. The majority of these bottles are reaching the point of being ready to drink, though they could also be aged for quite a few more years, depending on your tastes.

From Burgundy, there are several bottles of La Tâche from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, as well as the Romanée Saint-Vivant, Echezeaux, Grands-Echezeaux and Richebourg from the same domain. The exceedingly rare Leroy is also available, with Clos-de-la-Roche and Latricières-Chambertin most notably. Armand Rousseau, Méo-Camuzet and Dugat-Py are particularly well represented, and we also find the likes of Jean Grivot, Georges Roumier and Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier.

From Bordeaux, there is plenty from Petrus to get you excited, with a large choice of vintages including the fine 2009 and 2010. There are several other premiers crus, as well as rare domains in Pomerol such as Château Lafleur.

From the Rhône, Rayas’ Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Chave’s Hermitages and Theirry Allemand’s Cornas are all bound to find happy homes. Pegau, Clos des Papes, and Domaine de la Janasse are also safe bets not to be missed!

But there is more to be had than from the three more classic regions. From Champagne, for example, this collection includes vintages from Selosse, Salon, Krug, Egly-Ouriet, and some bottles of Tattinger’s Comte de Champagne. From the Loire, Clos Rougeard will certainly be music to the ears of some. And to finish, there is some lovely ort from Quinto do Noval.

Wines acquired directly from the domains and en primeur

“After having spent some time buying wine as and when, I started being more systematic about my collecting at the start of the 2000s via the primeur system in Bordeaux and directly from the domains in other regions. I often did this after visiting the property myself. There were even primeur sales in other regions at the time, for example I bought wines from Jadot, Bouchard and Grivot in this way.”

Perfectly preserved in a professional cellar

All of the bottles have been kept in a professional wine cellar in the Parisian region, in ideal storage conditions, and had not been moved until their evaluation at the iDealwine Lab. We should specify that these cellars are particularly humid – great for the wine – and this means that some of the bottles show traces of this on their labels. This is not the case for every bottle, and in any case is only something to note, since it is an aesthetic question that has no bearing on the quality of the wine. If anything, it is a sign that the bottles have been kept well. Across the board, these cuvées are of an exceptional standard, including the more mature vintages.

Go to the private collection here

Access the sales catalogues

27/05/2020 – 10H00 : CP – Autres régions 1998-2011
27/05/2020 – 10H30 : CP – Champagne 1995-2015
27/05/2020 – 11H00 : CP – Rhône 1998-2010
27/05/2020 – 11H30 : CP – Bordeaux 1999-2004
27/05/2020 – 12H30 : CP – Bordeaux 2005-2006
27/05/2020 – 13H30 : CP – Bordeaux 2007-2014
27/05/2020 – 14H30 : CP – Burgundy 1999-2005
27/05/2020 – 15H30 : CP – Burgundy 2006-2008
27/05/2020 – 16H30 : CP – Burgundy 2009-2017