Start August off the right way, by enjoying the 100 years of winemaking history that this latest auction offers you. It puts the best of the Rhône Valley pride of place (Rayas, Chave) but also includes wines from Bordeaux (double magnum of 1999 Château Le Pin and Petrus), Burgundy (2009 Auvenay) and elsewhere. And don’t miss the Special Catalogue with wines from a young collector who is parting ways with some of his bottles due to an upcoming move. We’re going to tell you more about just that! For your information, the auction closes 13th and 14th August.
The current iDealwine auction contains a Special Catalogue full of top wines that you most definitely would not want to miss! Read on as we discover the story behind the collection and what it is comprised of.
A passion inherited from his father
Our young consignor fell into the world of wine thanks to his father. The latter is also a wine enthusiast and collector who was delighted to pass on all his knowledge and share tasting moments with his son. Bordeaux was his preferred and only region. “My father only had that in his collection; it was the beginning of the 90s.”Wine and gastronomy. When heading off on holiday, our consignor would stop off at some of the greatest French restaurants: Troisgros, Le Bristol…
So it’s only natural that, 15 years ago when our seller was starting to build his own collection, he’d turn towards Bordeaux, boosted also by the 50 bottles he inherited from his father. From this period of his collection, there are still a few splendid wines that were bought En Primeur and are now ready to drink with vintages such as 2011 (Cheval Blanc), 2012 (Lafite Rothschild and Cheval Blanc), 2014 and 2016 well represented in the auction catalogue. But there are also more mature vintages and icons present as well: Haut Brion (1964, 1998, 2000, and 2005), Latour (1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000), and 2000 Mouton Rothschild. If you’re looking to drink these any time soon, now’s your chance to get your hands on these wines that have aged perfectly with the woody side of them making way for incredible complexity.
And expanded upon thanks to a tasting club
In 2010, our consignor joined a tasting club and its thanks to the expert tasters there that his eyes were opened up to other regions and their icons. “I was ignorant of everything; Bordeaux was my only point of reference. I knew nothing about the Loire, Jura, Burgundy, Rhône, Jurançon… So, I had to start approaching wine differently. Together, we tasted wine blind so that we could give our true, unbiased opinions about it. Before buying the bottles in my collection, I tasted each of the wines. I could tell you a story about each and every one of them.”
This collector bought everything from wine merchants or directly from the producers. He sheltered his wines away from the light in ideal conditions in a chalk cellar where the temperature and humidity (75%) were just right.
He expanded his search area, buying wine from every French region. After purchasing large formats (they’re great when a large number come together: how about an imperial of 2010 Bandol from Château Pradeaux or a double magnum of Carte d’Or Brut from Drappier?), some less well-known producers (François Feuillet and Fourrier from the Côte de Nuits, and Elise Bougy from Champagne), he turned with time towards natural wines.
What are your favourites among the bottles up for auction?
“Guiberteau, Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey, Leflaive, and Raveneau, to name but a few.”
But we can’t go on without talking about Emmanuel Reynaud’s wines. Our collector is passionate about them. “The crushed strawberries notes are so memorable. You can recognise his work a mile off, and if you like this style, then these are the wines for you.” He has recently opened a 2000 and even a 2011 and they’re simply extraordinary.
And then there are his three favourite Champagne producers: Selosse, of course, and Cédric Bouchard, who produces wines that our consignor compares to Selosse. “This Champagne, which is of such high quality, stands apart from that of the great houses thanks to its controlled salinity and precise aromas. It’s an haute-couture wine with all the elements being brought to the fore with elegance, each aroma has its place and reveals itself at the perfect moment on the palate. It’s like we analyse the produce.” And there is a special place in his heart for Roses de Jeanne (there are six vintages in the catalogues). Elise Bougy, who we mentioned further up, produces Champagne that “when tasting blind, we couldn’t decide which one we like more: this one and a 1996 Salon.”
Consigning wine due to a move
“I built up my collection to drink the bottles but then my passion seemed to overtake reason, and I have found myself with more wine than I could ever drink. I sometimes spend between 10 and 20 hours a month sorting my collection. That’s a bit too much for me! And what’s more, I’m now moving to a country where they don’t really drink and my wine friends will no longer be close by. That’s why I’m parting ways with my wines. But I’m keeping the core part of my collection, don’t worry.”
