The Rousseau Magnum Collection | Exclusive Releases from Eva Fricke | Finest & Rarest Wines

Live Auction: 10 September 2021 • 10:00 AM BST • London

There are very few producers whose wines inspire as much excitement in Burgundy devotees as those of Domaine Armand Rousseau. One of the most coveted names in the wine world, this Domaine has been a trailblazer in Burgundy since its founding in the early twentieth century, and is now superbly overseen by Armand’s grandson Eric and his own daughter Cyrielle. Rousseau’s wines are truly amongst the most perfect and singular expressions of Pinot Noir that exist, and large formats of the Grand Crus are produced in such minimal quantities that the opportunity to experience such bottles remains an elusive dream for the vast majority of collectors worldwide. It is therefore a pleasure to be able to offer this beautifully assembled collection of sensational magnums.

Purchased from one of Rousseau’s UK agents and stored professionally ever since they were delivered directly from the Domaine, the provenance and condition of these spectacular bottles is truly perfect. They will form a beautiful centerpiece to any great wine collection. In this focused and wonderfully formed consignment, looking beyond Rousseau we find further Burgundian titans including Roumier’s superb Bonnes Mares, Musigny and Amoureuses, Coche-Dury’s Corton Charlemagne, whilst the Thienpont family’s St Emilion super-cuvee “L’If” flies the flag for Bordeaux.

The phenomenal collection on offer here includes the first Trockenbeerenauslese and Beerenauslese wines ever to be made by Eva: 2019 Lorcher Krone TBA; 2019 Lorcher Kapellenberg TBA; and 2019 Lorcher Schlossberg BA. All 3 wines have received stunning critical praise, with the flagship 2019 Lorcher Krone TBA being awarded the first ever 100-point Wine Advocate score for any wine from the Rheingau. It will come as no surprise to existing fans of this inimitable winemaker that this world-first has been bestowed upon her estate.

With miniscule total production volumes of between just 18 and 36 half-bottles, this auction represents a genuine once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; the entire production of each of these 3 cuvees is being released exclusively through this sale. In addition, we have a limited selection of Eva’s highly sought-after dry styles including the winery’s only remaining magnum of her first ever release, the 2006 Lorcher Krone Auslese Trocken. The hammer price for the first bottle of 2019 Lorcher Krone TBA will be donated toShare The Meal, an organistion empowering people to end global hunger and a cause very dear to Eva's heart. 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.

From the cellars of a group of true connoisseurs, the main body of this outstanding auction contains a veritable embarrassment of riches. There is particularly incredible breadth and depth across the First Growths and Right Bank superstars, covering all the great vintages between 1982 and the present day, with an extensive offering of rare double-magnums and other large formats, and a striking sequence of wonderful original cases of Mouton-Rothschild from the 1980 to 1985 vintages. Outside Bordeaux there are even more aged stocks from Domaine Armand Rousseau, alongside other shining Burgundian lights, and superb Champagne at the peak of its powers. Not to be outdone by France, the rest of the world is well-represented, with strong offerings from all the major Super Tuscans, rare magnums of Harlan Estate and a wonderful selection of Vintage Port from the superb 1966 vintage.

These collections represent a lifetime of work, and are offered with impeccable provenance having been perfectly cared for. The top-drawer cellars on display were assembled painstakingly over the course of more than four decades, and the amazingly high volume of First Growths contained herein is testament to the generosity of these collectors, and their philosophy of wanting to open and share the world’s greatest wines with friends and family, far and wide. The scale and quality of vintages on offer mean that there is truly something for everyone, whether your search is for bottles perfectly at their peak now, cases to be laid down for decades more, or to build a complete collection that can be gradually enjoyed as each wine reaches its plenitude.

Read on for details of the glorious treasures that make up each of these marvelous cellars.

There is good reason for the enduring presence of Bordeaux’s great names within cellars of the foremost collectors worldwide. The consistency with which the Bordelais, over centuries, have been able to produce wines that continue to find themselves at the pinnacle of global wine appreciation is truly astonishing. Icons of both the Left and Right Banks have an ability to gain complexity and character as they age, which is almost unrivalled in the rest of the fine wine world. The region’s wines have occupied a space at the top table for centuries, and the enjoyment of these wines has been a constant for countless significant characters, alongside myriad major events, throughout at least 500 years of recent history.

It is therefore a delight to be able to present such a treasure trove of pristine, ready-to-drink superstars here, alongside various younger vintages that are all but certain to become future legends with cellaring. The wines on offer here will therefore suit the gourmand who wishes to drink the world’s greatest wines right away, just as much as the collector looking to amass a cellar for the future.

Mouton, as it is affectionately known by all its devotees, is the most opulent and exuberant of all the Firsts, a reflection of the two huge personalities that headed the Château since 1920, Baron Philippe and then Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, who sadly left us a few years ago. The great cassis depths of this wine seduce everyone who appreciates the finest Bordeaux. It is a gloriously forceful, flamboyant wine, voluptuous and powerful.

The stunning beauty of the wines has been further strengthened by meticulous attention to detail in vineyard and cellar. Many of my own greatest wine drinking experiences revolve around Mouton throughout this century and the last. Magnificent Mouton is a sensory photo on the mind that stays with one for life.

Winemaking occupies a space right on the liminal boundary between Art and Science, and never is that more clear than in the wares of Burgundy’s leading addresses. If art is the expression of the human soul in terms of a tangible, worldly product, then the wines highlighted here are at once works of art and perfect snapshots of their creators’ philosophies. Part of the romantic allure of Pinot Noir is its capricious nature, and Burgundy’s winemakers all the way down the Côte d’Or are at the mercy of this grape variety’s temperament, the elements and, of course, their terroir.

Harnessing the potential of all these variables is no small feat, and those who are able to achieve this year in, year out, are rightly revered as Burgundian royalty. When great Burgundy is on song, there is nothing quite like it for its exquisite purity and paradoxical power. These are truly the world’s most harmonious wines.