La Romanée 1865. A legendary wine, recognized worldwide as one of the most remarkable vintages produced in Burgundy since the 19th century.
Geneva, February 9, 2021 – Baghera/wines announces its next auction, “La Romanée Memories”, which will take place on April 18, 2021, at the Beau-Rivage – Geneva. This huge “verticale” will highlight more than a century and a half of this prestigious cru, with a total of nearly 2,000 bottles of La Romanée Grand Cru to be presented at this historic sale. The bottles, testimony to a state of preservation close to perfection, come from the time-honoured cellars of Bouchard Père & Fils, one of the most distinguished houses in Burgundy, in continuous activity for nearly three centuries.
Bouchard Père & Fils: nearly 300 years of history, transmission and development of Burgundy’s best terroirs.
Bouchard Père & Fils is one of the oldest wineries in Burgundy. Founded in Beaune by Michel Bouchard in 1731, it has perpetuated the traditions, values and philosophy of Burgundy’s most beautiful terroirs since the 18th century. The Côte d’Or vineyard has been an inspiration to families of independent entrepreneurs from the Bouchard Père & Fils family to the Henriot family since 1995, all doing their utmost, generation after generation, to develop and contribute to the longevity of an exceptional estate. Today, Bouchard Père & Fils is an indisputable international reference for any aficionado of great Burgundy terroirs.
The Maison is rooted in three core values: historical evidence of the promotion of Burgundy and its Grands Crus and Premiers Crus for nearly 300 years; evidence of transmission through family-based and independent shareholders since 1731; and finally, evidence from the land expressed by the scope, age and prestige of the estate’s internationally renowned terroirs.
This 130-hectare estate, the Côte-d’Or’s largest in Premiers and Grands Crus, illustrates a hundred or so “climats” extending over 55 km from north to south between Gevrey-Chambertin and Montrachet.
This is first and foremost the story of an encounter between the founders of Baghera/wines and the Maison Bouchard Père & Fils, founder of the “La Romanée Memories” project. Above and beyond words, what counts here is an unmistakable kinship in terms of values, approach, respect for things from the past matched by an ability to interpret them in the present, thus responding to the challenges involved in preserving the world’s oenological heritage.
Michael Ganne and Julie Carpentier, founders of Baghera/wines and auctioneers conducting the current sale comment: “We are delighted to celebrate Côte de Nuit’s brightest star at our next sale, entitled “La Romanée Memories 1862-2005″, taking place next April. The sale is a tribute to Bouchard Père & Fils, whose passion and commitment have for decades been key in highlighting the unique nature the terroir of La Romanée. The 1926 bottles, magnums and jeroboam of which this ensemble consists are the very last in Bouchard Père & Fils’ possession. We are honoured by the task entrusted to us – namely to unveil this majestic collection to all Burgundy aficionados. Given the exceptional nature of this event, Maison Bouchard has applied its consistently cultivated expertise in the art of recorking to all 1,926 bottles. Despite having to sacrifice one on occasion for the purpose, each bottle has been tasted (nose), recorked with the greatest care and then labelled. The bottles received new wax caps and a ProofTag tracing system specially designed for this event – thereby offering collectors an additional guarantee of provenance.”
Gilles de Larouzière Henriot, President Bouchard Père & Fils, said: “We are pleased to entrust this treasure to Baghera/wines. In keeping with our values and their own, Baghera Wines has the expertise, knowledge and ability to seek out the most passionate and determined wine collectors. These final bottles of the Romanée Grand Cru, a Burgundian treasure of which we are proud, carry within them the deep meaning of the work of our Maison and, over and above this, present a strong testimony to heritage of Burgundy. We are thus closing a chapter in the history of Bouchard Père & Fils, offering wine lovers around the world the incredible opportunity to access this priceless jewel…”
LA ROMANEE – Grand Cru: the smallest of the Grands Crus de Bourgogne
Nestled like a diamond in the heart of the Côte de Nuits, La Romanée embodies the very essence of a Burgundy that is precious, secret and fertile. Along with La Romanée-Conti, Richebourg, La Romanée-Saint-Vivant and others, not to mention Côte de Beaune’s Volnay or Montrachet, it is one of the great names responsible for Burgundy’s international renown. An incredible marriage of magical lands and the hard work of man’s hand, La Romanée is a harmonious symphony, within which human intuition has guided nature to produce the best and most precious that has to give.
La Romanée averages some 3,600 bottles produced annually from the 85 ares that make up this plot, demonstrating the importance, value and rarity of these bottles. Covering production from the 19th century to 2005, the bottles going on sale are the very last owned by Bouchard Père & Fils. In tribute to the transmission of knowledge and values, these bottles will go to a new buyer, and will enchant other palates in the near future.
“LA ROMANEE MEMORIES” by Baghera/wines – spotlight on an incredible sale
On April 18, as part of its “La Romanée Memories” sale, Baghera/wines will have the immense honour of presenting a set of nearly 2,000 bottles from the cellars of the Maison Bouchard Père & Fils to the public. This extremely rare collection of 1,926 bottles, magnums and jeroboam contains wine in an irreproachable state of preservation withdrawn from a long rest in the Château de Beaune cellars.
The Maison Bouchard Père & Fils’ age-old expertise lies particularly in the quality of wine conservation in these historic cellars and in its mastery of recorking processes. The entire collection has been perfectly “recorked” and labelled in line with the most stringent standards according to the greatest wine professionals. This operation is usually performed every 30 years at Bouchard Père & Fils, thereby guaranteeing the impeccable quality of the bottles in their possession.
Recorking offers every lover of mature or old wines a significant additional guarantee, ensuring the chance to taste a nectar with exemplary gustatory qualities, as well as the assurance of optimal conservation and preservation for years and decades to come. From both standpoints, it is a truly irreproachable collection that will be offered for auction at the upcoming Baghera/wines sale.
Key Maison Bouchard Père & Fils data:
- 1731: creation of the Maison by Michel Bouchard. A cloth merchant originally from the Dauphiné region, he settles in Beaune and starts trading in wine with his son Joseph.
- 1775: Joseph Bouchard launches his first vineyards in Volnay with a beautiful plot in Caillerets. He thus begins the construction of the family estate.
- 1820: Bernard Bouchard acquires the Château de Beaune and converts the underground tunnels into maturation cellars.
- 1995: the Henriot family succeeds the Bouchard family. Joseph Henriot takes over the Maison and continues a quest for excellence lasting nearly three centuries.
- Today, Gilles de Larouzière Henriot, nephew and successor to Joseph Henriot, sees himself more as the heir to a set of irreproachable standards to be shared and perpetuated, rather than as the heir to a name and a heritage.
Domaine Bouchard Père & Fils: 130 hectares of which three-quarters are Premiers & Grands Crus
These include Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet, Meursault, Volnay, Pommard, Clos Saint-Landry,Clos de la Mousse, Vigne de l’Enfant Jésus, Corton, Corton-Charlemagne, Bonnes-Mares, Clos de Vougeot, Chambertin…
Key data relating to the “La Romanée Memories” sale by Baghera/wines:
Sale:
- La Romanée Memories
- 1862 — 2005
- The ultimate collection from the Bouchard Père & Fils historic cellars
Place: Geneva – SWITZERLAND | Beau-Rivage, Geneva
Date: Sunday, April 18, 2021
Number of lots: 331
- 33 vintages (including 1862, 1865, 1906, 1949, 1978, 1985, 1990, 2005)
- 1819 bottles (75cl)
- 106 magnums (150cl)
- 1 jeroboam (300cl)
Online catalogue: February 18, 2021, Auction book-catalogue: on request, March 2021
ABOUT BAGHERA/WINES, EXPERTS IN EXCEPTIONAL WINES
European leader in rare wine auctions based in Geneva, Baghera/wines offers a new approach to these sales of exceptional vintages by placing conviviality and sharing at the heart of their events. For the past five years, passionate experts Michael Ganne and Julie Carpentier have developed a bureau dedicated exclusively to rare wines, and which guides collectors in all aspects of enhancing the value of a collection.
In 2018-19, the historic sale of Henri Jayer’s personal cellar, to date the world’s most important wine auction ever (CHF 34.5M), followed by an unprecedented sale exclusively dedicated to the wines of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and then by the final bottles from Domaine René Engel, propelled Baghera/wines to the position of European leader in wine auctions.
The experienced team working with Baghera/wines’ experts offers excellent tailor-made professional advice to international collectors passionate about rare fine wines including the organisation of master classes, as well as careful selection of wines for private tastings, dinners and events combining music and wine. In September 2020, Baghera/wines officially inaugurated its new Geneva establishment, incorporating a private club and boutique dedicated to fine wines, at the Beau-Rivage, Geneva.
