Getting Ready for The Cellar, Part II

Posted on | October 2, 2006

In approximately 48 hours, eight months of hard work will become available for all to see when we unveil the 2271 lot opus of a catalog, aka “THE Cellar, Part II.’ The sale will be held on October 20th and 21st at Cafe Gray in New York City. Based on what is now officially in the catalog, I can safely say that this is the most important wine auction ever. Period.

If you plan on attending in person, let us know as soon as possible as we have already begun to take many reservations. There will be two sessions on Friday and two on Saturday, each day centered around lunch. The sale’s grand finale on Saturday will be 336 lots of wines from the greatest producer in the world, Domaine de la Romanee Conti.

Reservations are required for lunch and table service, but not for general seating, but it is always best to let us know in advance if you are coming whether you will have lunch or not, so we can have you registered and a paddle ready for you.

Although this last week was one of the hardest in my life, culminating in working 32 out of 36 hours straight to generate and finish the catalog (and a couple of 18 hour days before that), it did also afford me the opportunity earlier in the week to do some more drinking out of “THE Cellar,’ what I like to call “spot-checking.’

We often taste from cellars that we represent at auction not because we are thirsty all the time (which we are, of course), but rather to ensure provenance. When it comes to “THE Cellar,’ I really do not have to do that any more (ssssshhhhhhhhh!). I have tasted over 500 wines out of the cellar over the past four or five years, and all of these wines have been of the finest and rarest category, and I stress the letters “est.’ Later this week I am going to try and compile a “Greatest Hits’ from “THE Cellar’ that I have actually written up over the years, although I won’t hit you with all 500+! It will be an epic reminder of the quality represented by this collection.

As a passionate wine drinker myself, it is always a thrill to share wines with the owner of this collection, not only because of the quality of the collection and his never-ending generosity, but also because of his companionship and insight into the world of fine wine. I cannot tell you how many times over the years I have spoken to this collector, and he will have told me that he just opened up a 1952 Roumier Bonnes Mares, or has had three vintages of La Tache the night before, or compared a 1947 Lafleur against a Petrus, and then proceed to tell me about the wines. He is a wine lover first and foremost; these wines were not acquired with the intention of selling them. Circumstance and an admitted touch of excess has brought them here to us.

So, we recently broke bread after a hard day’s work to enjoy a few fruits of labor, so to speak. We started with a blind Champagne, which had a mature nose and burnt orange edges, faint traces of caramel and pinches of soy and ginger. Dalia, who joined us for dinner, noted aromatically “Cognac.’ It did have that edge, but its flavors were more in the vanilla bean category, along with baked bread and a rusty finish. Light toast and kisses of orange beef also graced the palate, which still had nice sprite and freshness. Earthy, round and smooth, the Champagne had impeccable balance and nice dry caramel flavors on its finish. The owner noted some “oak and crème brulee,’ while I did coconut and Dalia “meringue,’ all of the secondary variety. It was then revealed to be a magnum of 1943 Ernest Irroy Champagne, which was or is owned by Taittinger now apparently. It is amazing to me that this bottle was even made given the historical circumstances (94).

A 1985 Leroy Chambertin was next, and it had one of the best noses that I have ever experienced in a 1985 Burgundy. Mint julep and sweet, musky, dank, black, purple and red fruits permeated out of the nose. Sappy yet rippling with its vitamins, minerals and cedar streak that was just right, this Chambertin also had nice t “n a to its palate, and while its fruit was more on the dry and cedary side, there was still plenty of cassis to go with it. Dalia, however, fishatarian that she is, found the wine “too beefy.’ It did have a gamy edge, but I was enthralled with what I found to be a beautiful, classic and edgy wine that still had quite a kick to it on its finish (95).

We kept the Burgundy train rolling with a magnum of 1971 Roumier Bonnes Mares. Roumier is one of this collector’s favorite producers, and the auction will feature over 120 lots of his wines dating back to 1923!!! This magnum was an other-worldly experience. The wine had an incredible nose, Roumier all the way with its roses, spice, beef, cedar, minerals, cocoa powder and incredible spine, tannins and alcohol. Wowowow! Its intense leather flavors were S & M worthy, and there was enough acidity in this magnum for most cases!!! Dalia picked up some exotic “watermelon,’ and it was right on the money (as she usually is), although I was quick to point out that it was closer to the rind than the super sweet quality of the fruit. For someone that is not a regular drinker (I am working on that), I must admit she has some of the best innate senses that I have come across. She is the type of woman that wars are started over. Secondary flavors of rose and beef emerged, and its slate and minerality were enough to get Flintstone on the job. Incredible stuff (97M).

Since there were only a few of us, we called it a night with a 1949 Jaboulet Hermitage “La Chapelle.’ I have had this wine twice before, but both were disappointments, either cooked or off. Enter “THE Cellar,’ the best remedy for any previously disappointing wine experience. After having this bottle, I now “get’ aka understand 1949 and Hermitage go great together. “Wow’ starts my notes, “incredible’ and “the real deal’ soon followed. Its nose was full of game, menthol, roasted earth, mint and chocolate (”liqueur,’ the owner added). “So Burgundian,’ he keenly observed. The layers and textures in its nose were truly amazing, and rose hips and vitamin C joined the party. Often wines that are aromatically divine can be a letdown on the palate, but this was not the case in this extraordinary La Chapelle. Its “wow’ factor continued; the palate was a sledgehammer of a wine with huge t “n a and a finish that lingered longer than I could count. Its classic flavors matched the nose with a little more smokehouse and bacon in the mouth. It was a monumental wine, and one of the top Rhone wines I have ever had (98+).

It was another evening, an embarrassment of riches courtesy of the greatest cellar in the world.

JK

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