Exclusive Releases from Eva Fricke | Pristine Burgundy | Finest & Rarest Wines
Online Auction: 1–14 December 2022 • 11:00 AM GMT • London

Exclusive Releases from Eva Fricke | Pristine Burgundy from the Cellar of a Distinguished British Collector | Finest & Rarest Wines 1–14 December 2022 • 11:00 AM GMT • London

Hot on the heels of the unmitigated & unprecedented success of the 162nd Hospices de Beaune barrel auction, Sotheby’s Wine is delighted to present our final London sale of the Winter season, Exclusive Releases from Eva Fricke | Pristine Burgundy from the Cellar of a Distinguished British Collector | Finest & Rarest Wines. This auction encompasses a selection of wonderful cellars, containing a huge variety of intoxicating delights to round off a busy vinous year.

We begin this wonderful auction with Exclusive Releases from Eva Fricke direct from the cellars of eponymous Weingut, including her universally lauded Beerenauslese from Lorcher Krone and Lorcher Schlossberg.

Following this fine selection of benchmark Rheingau Riesling, we move swiftly onto the joys of the Côte d'Or with Pristine Burgundy from the Cellar of a Distinguished British Collector. This exceptional collection features recent vintages from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti plus countless other blue-chip Domaines, such as Leflaive, Clos de Tart, and Jacques Prieur, all purchased upon release from highly esteemed British merchants and stored in a custom built, temperature-controlled cellar.

Closing the sale, the various-owner Finest & Rarest Wines sale sees a handful of eclectic British collections brought to market. Displaying an impressive selection of beautifully mature stock from Europe’s most historic and desirable estates, the cellars offered here represent a lifetime of dedicated work on the part of these longstanding, steadfast collectors.

All of the wines in this sale are offered with exceptional provenance, having been stored in many of Britain’s most esteemed professional and private cellars.

Exclusive Releases from Eva Fricke | Pristine Burgundy from the Cellar of a Distinguished British Collector | Finest & Rarest Wines will open for online bidding on Thursday 1st December, culminating in an online-only auction on Wednesday 14th December at 11am BST.

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Auction Highlights

Sale Contents

Lots 1 to 51: Exclusive Releases from Eva Fricke
Lots 52 to 164: Pristine Burgundy
Lots 165 to 369: Finest & Rarest Wines

Exclusive Releases from Eva Fricke

Lots 1-51 represent a truly unique and exclusive release, direct from an outstanding winemaker who we are very excited to have been able to partner with for this sale. For fans of the world’s best Riesling, the name Eva Fricke may well already be familiar. For those who don’t yet know Eva’s wines, we were lucky to be able to interview the star herself. This wonderful profile provides a snapshot of the perspective, philosophy and dedication that undermines Eva’s meticulous approach in the vineyard and the winery, an approach that has won her numerous awards and plaudits in the last decade, not to mention a hugely loyal and devoted fan-base.

Discover the story of Weingut Eva Fricke

The phenomenal collection on offer here includes both Eva’s Beerenauslese from 2021: 2021 Lorcher Krone BA and 2021 Lorcher Schlossberg BA. Both wines have received stunning critical praise, with the flagship 2021 Lorcher Krone BA being awarded 99 Points by James Suckling.

With miniscule total production volumes of just 18 and 36 half-bottles, this auction represents a genuine once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; the entire production of both cuvees is being released exclusively through this sale. In addition, we have a limited selection of Eva’s highly sought-after dryer” styles from the vineyards of Krone, Schlossberg, and Seligmacher, all from her extremely well-received 2020 vintage. Please discover more about these vintages in the reviews by Robert Parker and James Suckling.

We are thrilled to have the opportunity to offer these extremely limited bottles to our global network of highly knowledgeable collectors, as well as bringing Eva's wines to an audience that may not yet be familiar with her prodigious talent.

Pristine Burgundy from the Cellar of a Distinguished British Collector

Lots 52 - 164 bring us onto blue-chip Burgundy, with Domaine de la Romanée-Conti exceptionally well represented. Ultra-rare bottles of Romanée-Conti from 2011 and 2013 kickstart this hedonistic celebration of the Côte de Nuits, closely followed by La Tâche, Richebourg, Romanée St. Vivant, Grands Echézeaux, and Echézeaux, all in banded OWC, Duty Paid, and most importantly, sourced direct from the sole importer upon release.

Aubert de Villaine’s sensational Montrachet 2008 and 2011 close the Conti section of this fabulous cellar, closely followed by further Grand Cru joy with offerings from the likes of Jacques Prieur and Domaine Leflaive.

Elsewhere we find an eclectic mix of other Burgundian Jewels, such 2012 Clos de Tart, plus Bonnes Mares 2000 by Dujac, Musigny 2006 by J-F Mugnier, and Les Referts 2009 by Arnaud Ente (all 3 ‘en magnum’, perfect for sharing between 2 people as our Honorary Chairman, Serena Sutcliffe MW always advises!)

Looking beyond Burgundy, we are very fortunate that this dedicated collector did not neglect the First Growths, consequently Left-Bank Titans Lafite 96, Margaux 96 (WA100 and WA99 respectively), and Haut-Brion 2014 all make last minute appearances, to close this beautifully curated collection.

The Domaine: Treasures from DRC

The Domaine, as it is known, is iconic. Much more importantly, it also produces the most extraordinary wines in Burgundy - and it has been doing so for a long time. The generations responsible for the Domaine change, but the terroir remains. And these are very special vineyard parcels indeed, married to meticulous care and philosophy leading to low yields and healthy, ripe grapes, at whatever cost. From the 1990s, vineyard policy has been organic, with co-owner Aubert de Villaine monitoring everything with his usual attention to detail. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti wines evolve and develop dimensions in a way that resembles a mosaic – points of bouquet and flavor making up a harmonious whole that becomes more beautiful as it unfolds in the glass. Yes, these are hedonistic wines and yes, they are not like any other. The trick is in capturing what these remarkable plots of vines can give and letting them express themselves through minimum intervention and enlightened nurturing.

Serena Sutcliffe, MW
Honorary Chairman, Sotheby’s Wine

Finest & Rarest Wines

Closing this final London auction of 2022, we find the Finest & Rarest Wines various-owner sale, which sees a handful of eclectic British collections brought to market.

Burgundy, and in particular ‘The Domaine’ continue to dominate proceedings, with Romanée-Conti, La Tâche, Richebourg, Romanée St. Vivant, and Echézeaux all from the challenging yet beloved 1997 vintage inaugurating the sale, followed closely by more Burgundian Icons (luckily again, in bottles and occasionally ‘en magnum’) such as Roumier, Mugnier, and even a generous offering of Clos de Vougeot by the meteoric Arnoux-Lachaux.

For balance, devotees of the Left-Bank will be thrilled to discover verticals of Mouton Rothschild from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and Noughties, alongside perfectly mature claret such as 1961 Lafite, and full OWCs of 1983 Léoville Las Cases, 1988 Léoville Barton plus 1990 Palmer.

Champagne lovers will not be disappointed either, with delicious fizz from the lauded 2004 vintage supplied by Dom Perignon and Pol Roger, including the exceptional Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill.



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