S
otheby’s Wine is proud to continue its NY autumn sale series with Vine | Distinguished Collections, Including The Park B. Smith Cellar, Celebrating Rhône. The sale leads with treasures from the Rhône Valley and Australia from the cellar of internationally renowned wine collector Park B. Smith, including a showcase of Chave’s mythic Ermitage, Cuvée Cathelin (1990 - 2003); Jaboulet “La Chapelle” (1959 - 2003), in a variety of formats; and Guigal’s iconic “La-La’s” spanning nearly two decades (1988-2007). The sale continues with compelling selections from some of the best cellars known to Sotheby’s, bringing together the most coveted wines, in the greatest vintages, from the Old and New World.
Lots 1 - 233: THE PARK B. SMITH CELLAR, CELEBRATING RHONE
Lots 234 - 289: BURGUNDY & BORDEAUX ICONS FROM AN IMPORTANT FAMILY COLLECTION
Lots 290 - 344: DRC, RAVENEAU, & COCHE-DURY FROM A NEW ENGLAND COLLECTION
Lots 345 - 459: MAJESTIC BORDEAUX IN LARGE-FORMAT
Lots 460 - 515: AN INTERESTING SELECTION OF BURGUNDY, RHONE & NAPA
Lots 516 - 627: SUPERLATIVE MATURE BURGUNDY & BORDEAUX
Lots 628 - 702: NAPA VALLEY CULT SENSATIONS
Lots 703 - 708: A CONCISE SELECTION OF JAYER & D’AUVENAY
Lots 709 - 753: PROPERLY STORED WINES FROM VARIOUS CELLARS
Sotheby’s is excited to open this auction with this outstanding selection celebrating the greatest wines of the Northern Rhône and Australia from the cellar of Park B. Smith. Sotheby’s Wine has had the privilege of presenting an outstanding range of wines from Park’s internationally renowned cellar beginning in November 2006, and we are honored to be entrusted with this tranche of Rhône and Australian treasures from his celebrated collection.
This compelling selection of meticulously sourced and stored wines, from a much larger family collection, is finely tuned to the very best of Burgundy, Bordeaux and Champagne in the most coveted vintages, including 1985, 1990, and 2005 in Burgundy; and 1982 and 1990 in Bordeaux. This consignment is a reflection of the auteur nature of the collection, focusing on the pantheon of winemaking greats and their wines, including DRC, Leroy, Potel, and Jacky Truchot in Burgundy, as well as Le Pin, Petrus, Haut Brion, and Latour in Bordeaux.
The legendary François Raveneau died in 2000, but his son Jean-Marie had already been making these wines, the most complex in Chablis, since the mid 1980s, and he has since been joined by his elder brother Bernard. Classic Grands and Premier Crus, wood aged in oak feuillettes averaging seven or eight years old, and built for long life in bottle. The brothers practise a near-organic approach in the vineyards, use only hand-harvesting, and avoid cold stabilization. The wines that result are stupendous examples of the genre. Serena Sutcliffe, MW
Jean-François Coche is a magician who coaxes extraordinary aromas and flavours from his land, whether it be Grand Cru or village wine. He never makes anything less than riveting wine, whatever the weather conditions. To own a Coche-Dury wine is an achievement, given the quality and the scarcity. Serena Sutcliffe, MW
