It has been a strong year for sales of fine and rare wines around the world, and Edward Roberts International is no exception. Their final sale in the second week of December was greeted with some excitement:
Great growth Bordeaux in the sale included a 1966 Chateaux Cos D'Estournel, Latour and Mouton-Rothschild; 1982 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, 1989 Chateaux Haut-Brion, La Dominique, Ducru-Beaucaillou, Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Gruaud-Larose, Leoville-Las Cases, Talbot and Meyney; 1990 Chateau Petrus, 2000 Chateaux L'Evangile, Ducru-Beaucaillou and Figeac; and 2005 Chateaux Haut-Brion, Latour and Pavie in large formats.
The Lafite was of course the highlight of the show. Robert Parker famously raved about it:
"The 1982 Lafite possesses a dark, dense ruby/purple colour with only a subtle lightening at the rim. Spectacular aromatics offer jammy cherry and black fruits intertwined with lead pencil, mineral, and smoky wood scents.
"Powerful for a Lafite, this wine unfolds to reveal extraordinary richness, purity, and overall symmetry in addition to stunning flavor depth and persistence. The finish lasts for nearly a minute. Plenty of tannin remains, and the wine displays a vibrancy and youthfulness that belie its 18 years of age.
"The modern day equivalent of Lafite-Rothschild's immortal 1959, the 1982 will enjoy another 30-70 years of life! An amazing achievement! 100 points."
Of course Lafite wine in general is going down well in the Chinese markets, not least because the name: 'Lafite' sounds like 'on the way up' in Chinese. This makes it a strong investment. Eight bottles of the vintage sold for $26,100.
Notable California selections included classics and cult wines from the highly rated 1994 vintage such as Harlan; 1997 Dalla Valle Maya, and sought after bottlings from Saxum,Pax, Arietta and Sine Qua Non.
Other desirable rarities included 1961 Chateauneuf-du-Pape from the cellars of Maxim's de Paris, and an amazing collection of Massandra Crimean dessert wines from 1929 to 1985. There is also a notable range of highly rated Spanish and Italian wines.
Edward Roberts is now taking consignments for its next sale which takes place on February 6.
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