Back again with another post. So soon? Well, I feel the pressure is on to get these out. If I haven’t covered an auction you would like to see covered, just shoot me an email or leave me a comment. This auction again takes place at Marea in NYC. Great restaurant from an auction house with a tricky history. They’ve done some great work over the years, but it has come at a cost to their reputation. I am always hoping that this bite to their reputation hurts them in the room and provides us with some deals as we do have to cope with their cowboy nature and desire to consign whatever they can, regardless of provenance.
Lot 16 – V. Girardin, Bonnes Marres 2005 (6 bottles), L. LeMoine, Charmes Chambertin 2005 (6 bottles), and N. Potel, Clos St. Denis 2005 (6 bottles)
The estimate for this lots puts it at $2000-$2600 for the entire lot. I value this lot at near those prices just based on the Clos St.Denis and the Bonnes Mares bottles alone. You can think of it as an interesting lot as you more or less get the Charmes Chambertin for free. This is my kinda lot.
Lot 19 – L. LeMoine Corton Charlemagne 2009 (12 bottles)
Lucien LeMoine makes fantastic juice and this is Corton Charlemagne no less. Let’s not underestimate this wine and appreciate that at a ballpark of $150 it is a fair price. This could become interesting if it drops to around $900-$1000.
Lot 106 – Château Beychevelle 1970 (12 bottles)
45 year old Bordeaux for ~$100 a bottle. What a nice world we live in. Let’s buy this one and appreciate life.
Lot 112 -Antinori, Guado Al Tasso 1995 (6 bottles) and 1996 (12 bottles)
Antinori is another storied Italian wine producer. Here we have a nice paring of two different vintages back to back. Makes for some nice comparisons. Definitely a good estimate on this one. Solid consignment from AMC.
Lot 114 – Poggio all’Oro Riserva, Castello Banfi, Brunello di Montalcino 1988 (12 bottles) and 1990 (12 bottles)
Banfi is another great maker from Italy. Here we have a whopping 24 bottles of their delicious BdM for only $100 a bottle. I’m a sucker for this stuff. Join me in my love for BdM.
Lot 167 – Cascina Francia, G. Conterno, Barolo 2000 (3 bottles), 2001 (3 bottles), 2003 (3 bottles), and 2004 (3 bottles)
Ending this foursome of legendary Italians is one of my personal favorites, G. Conterno. A very famous maker maker and 4 different vintages. The price is fantastic on this at only $150-$170 a bottle. Seems high, but it is not for this maker. Context is key.
Lot 210 – E. Guigal La Mouline and La Turque 1998 (3 bottles each)
Another one of my favorite makers. You may be wondering why I am recommending these at $300 a bottle, but that is a veritable steal for these wines. They look to be in strong condition as well. Lucky for us.
Lot 272 – J. Grivot, Clos Vougeot 2004 (6 bottles) and 2006 (6 bottles)
Clos Vougeot gets surprisingly mixed reviews. I think people are trying to find complaints and in blind tastings they would be stunned with how great this vineyard is. At under $100 a bottle, I am interested as you should be.
Lot 274 and 275 – Mongeard-Mugneret, Echézeaux 2005 (24 half-bottles and 12 bottles respectively)
Of these two lots here, I would go for the full bottles. Half bottles are nice, but they age a bit too quickly for my taste. Echézeaux from one of the lesser makers in that vineyard. Let’s appreciate the difference in price we can get and remember that they are still a reputable maker with just some of the lesser plots in an amazing vineyard.
Lot 279 – Fevre, Chablis Les Preuses 2008 and Les Clos 2010 (12 bottles each)
Another lot that is almost built for me. Fantastic Chablis in fantastic quantities for roughly $60 a bottle. Fevre makes great wine and this is certainly a winner. Both can be drunk now or you can age them. Chablis is a fantastically versatile wine.
Lot 330 – G. Roumier, Chambolle-Musigny 2008 (12 bottles)
Six lots of G. Roumier villages wine. Buy this just because it is Roumier. Villages wines can often be stunning when in old years, particularly from the right makers. Roumier is always the right maker. I will not comment on the next five lots as they are the same.
Lot 331 – G. Roumier, Chambolle-Musigny 2010 (12 bottles)
Lot 332 – G. Roumier, Chambolle-Musigny 2012 (10 bottles)
Lot 478 – G. Roumier, Chambolle-Musigny 2005 (12 bottles)
Lot 479 – G. Roumier, Chambolle-Musigny 2009 (12 bottles) and 2010 (12 bottles)
Lot 480 – G. Roumier, Chambolle-Musigny 2011 (12 bottles) and 2012 (12 bottles)
Lot 481 – G. Roumier, Morey-St. Denis, Clos de la Bussiere 1999 (12 bottles) and 2004 (12 bottles)
Still Roumier, but this time Clos de la Bussiere. Luckily, we are not paying a premium for it being from that vineyard. Enjoy this strange day and bid aggressively.
Lot 483 – J. Drouhin, Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru 1999 (12 bottles)
Drouhin is another maker I adore and this is more Chambolle-Musigny. I believe that this is a blend from a few of their different Premier Cru vineyards. You know what I’m going to tell you to do here.
Lot 486 – Domaine Leflaive, Puligny-Montrachet, Les Folateires 2004 (12 bottles)
I’ve written about Les Folateires in previous posts. It is a weird little vineyard that produces fantastic wine. With the little bit of age this has on it, it is likely to be perfect for drinking now. A definite buy for those of us who appreciate this land.
Lot 503 – G. Rinaldi, Barolo, Brunate le Coste 2000 (6 bottles) and 2004 (6 bottles)
Back to Italians. Rinaldi is great and these are a fantastic bottling as well. We have four different lots in a row here. Enjoy the great estimates on these and for good luck on auction day. Same for the next three lots.
Lot 504 – G. Rinaldi, Barolo, Brunate le Coste 2007 (12 bottles)
Lot 506 – G. Rinaldi, Barolo, Brunate le Coste 2008 (12 bottles)
Lot 507 – G. Rinaldi, Barolo, Brunate le Coste 2009 (12 bottles)
Lot 575 – Château de Beaucastel, Châteauneuf de Pape 1995 (12 bottles), 1999 (12 bottles), 2007 (6 bottles) and 2008 (6 bottles)
Beaucastel was one of my early introductions to fantastic CdP. This is a very good pricing on these, especially considering the older bottles in this lot. Definitely a good price to flesh out your CdP collection
Lot 590 – Vieux Telegraphe, Châteauneuf de Pape 1990 (12 bottles)
At $100 per bottle, Vieux Telegraph is a great buy. This is definitely worth buying and enjoying. It is in about prime drinking condition right now.
Lot 622 – Fourrier, Gevrey-Chambertin, Vieilles Vignes 2009 (12 bottles) and 2010 (12 bottles)
Fourrier is a great maker and I do have a little thing for Gevrey-Chambertin. These are great buys at this price. Definitely a strong candidate for a buy. Remember, Vieilles Vignes signifies that this is from older vines.
Lot 623 – Fourrier, Gevrey-Chambertin, Vieilles Vignes 2012 (12 bottles and 6 magnums)
Same deal as above here, but this time, we get a few magnums tossed in and it is from a newer vintage. I have not had a magnum of Fourrier, but hopefully this lot will give me the chance.
Lot 636 – Marquis d’Angerville, Volnay Les Caillerets 2011 (12 bottles) and Les Champans (12 bottles)
I had a bottle of 2005 d’Angerville at EMP a few months back and was blown away with the quality. I do not think that was an aberration. Watch this lot
Lot 698 – Assorted Riesling (Auslese, Spatlese, and Kabinett) (96 bottles and 26 half-bottles)
Well hot damn. Don’t buy this lot. I want it. It’s so much and it’s so cheap. Amazing wines at great prices. I’m currently trying to get some space in my storage for this. If I do buy this, post a comment and we’ll find a way to get you in to join me in drinking all of this.
Lot 699 – Assorted Riesling (Auslese and Spatlese) (25 bottles, 12 half-bottles, and 9 magnums)
Similar to the last one, but less wine. I want both of these. Step back please!
Lot 701 – Assorted Vintage Port (36 bottles, 4 half-bottles, and 2 magnums)
I love port and I love these prices. This is less around $50 a bottle. Unfortunately, this stuff will need time to age, but if you have the time, this is worth the patience.
Lot 744 – Méo-Camuzet, Chambolle-Musigny, Les Cras 2012 (12 bottles)
Méo-Camuzet is a great maker who we rarely see a lot of. It’s a shame. Let’s take this opportunity and take it off the market.
Lot 835 – Dal Forno, Amarone 2009 (12 bottles)
Another amazing maker. Their Amarone is just superb. I bought a case back in January. It is not cheap, but there is a reason for this. We don’t see Dal Forno at auction often, so let’s take this opportunity.
Lot 836 – Dal Forno, Valpolicella 2009 (24 bottles)
Similar as above, but this is their Valpolicella. A very different wine, but of great quality. Just buy it and enjoy it.
Lot 970 – Château Rieussec 2009 (24 bottles)
Whoa! Two very cheap lots of Rieussec. This typically goes for roughly $130 a bottle. Good buys on these two lots right here.
Lot 971 – Château Rieussec 2010 (24 bottles)
Lot 977 – Domaine de Montille, Beaune Greves 2010 (24 bottles)
This may go way under what it should, partly because it seems to be mislabelled. From what I understand, this is the Premier Cru in Beaune Les Greves. If this is indeed that, then it should be priced close to $60 a bottle. This is much less than that at roughly $45 per bottle. If bidders are confused and this goes for even less, this would be a great buy. Do not let the bad labelling of this confuse you!
Lot 978 – Domaine Leroy, Bourgogne 2009 (48 bottles)
This is the entry level from Leroy. It is a great wine and is definitely a solid daily drinker. This is a fantastic price for this wine. It is likely very near the wholesale price of it.
Lot 979 – Domaine Trapet, Marc de Chambertin 1990 (24 bottles)
This is a weird lot for this auction. It is a distillate of the grapes I believe. Could be something fun to have, but this is an obscene amount of eau-de-vie. Definitely something to play around with.
Lot 980 – Drouhin-Laroze, Bonnes Mares 2008 (12 bottles) and 2012 (12 bottles)
A crazy amount of Bonnes Mares at this great price. I’m a buyer and you should be too.
Lot 981 – Drouhin-Laroze, Clos Vougeot 2011 (12 bottles) and 2012 (10 bottles)
Seem like the seller was drinking from his cellar, as he should. This is like the previous lot, but cheaper and a different vineyard. Remember, I like Clos Vougeot. Become enlightened like me and believe in this great property.
Lot 1018 – Vieux Telegraph, Châteauneuf de Pape, La Crau 2007 (24 bottles)
$50 bucks a bottle for this Vieux Telegraph. This is great and is just starting to show. Could take a while to open, but this is a fantastic wine. They really produced a great quality 2007. This one will likely become amazing when it hits 25 years of age.
Lot 1019 – Vieux Telegraph, Châteauneuf de Pape, La Crau 2009 (12 magnums)
More Vieux Telegraph, but this time in magnum. I’m a bit cautious about buying magnums, because you need to have a bigger crew to get into them, but for this, I would make an exception.
Lot 1021, 1022, and 1023 – Dujac, Marc de Bourgogne NV (12 bottles)
Again, more distilled spirit, but this time from Dujac. I may buy this just so I can see what it is. I had never heard of this from them before I saw this in the sale. Certainly interesting, but I am not sure as to how good it will be. Thank goodness that Dujac is behind it. That gives me a lot of comfort.
Good luck in the auction everyone!