Only last month was that (in)famous Jayer sale – the sale of the century – but already a new sale of the century is on its way. You will have to wait until August to see the details of the collection though, and October for the sale!

I had the feeling that it was highly unlikely that there was another bottle of 1945 Romanée-Conti left in this world – several hundred more having been drunk than were ever made! But it seems from this video that Robert Drouhin may have one – maybe more – certainly there are scores of DRC from other (old) vintages. This should come as no surprise, given that Drouhin were the distributors of DRC in France and Belgium from 1928, indeed they were the largest distributor of the domaine’s wines.

Serena Sutcliffe describes Robert’s cellar, a portion of which they will be selling in New York, as a “jewel-box of a personal cellar,” and she’s probably not even started contemplating all those bottles of Drouhin’s Musigny – all at least 50 years old. I’ll be very interested to see the catalogue of wines – I expect that the records set by the Jayer wines are about to be tested!

There really is no normal opportunity to get these wines.
Serena Sutcliffe, Sotheby’s

Enjoy the video:

So yesterday I posted an on-the-spot snapshot of Sunday’s Geneva-Jayer sale, today I’ll make a few relevant points. It’s stating the obvious that a number of the bottles will certainly be corked – Jayer had some issues in the mid-1980s – but I believe that only two things really need to be addressed – pricing and worth.

Pricing – and Provenence – they cannot be separated
Let’s forget that this is wine for a moment; get a couple of egos in any auction room – regardless of what is being auctioned – and the prices will very quickly cease to reflect reality, or at least whatever was previously taken to be reality! And let’s be clear, there were many more than ‘a couple’ of well-healed egos represented here.

Then there is one small word to be considered – provenance.

Of course, the moment that wine is removed from a producer’s cellar – whatever the logistical chain – it becomes less ‘pure.’ This wine, came directly from Jayer’s cellar – Emmanuel Rouget says so, the daughters of Jayer who were at the auction and took part in a dinner to celebrate the auction, with the auctioneer at the 2* Michelin restaurant of the auction venue, also say so. In a world where most of the Jayer that’s offered for sale is potentially fake – and for some auction houses probably fake – it doesn’t get better than this. People connected to other auction houses and businesses associated with the sale or authentication of wine will snipe, and even concoct potential scenarios where these wines may still not be as purported – but if you must have Jayer – any Jayer for your own cellar – this was a one-off. In the modern world this was as good as it gets.

Of-course, in a world of Coravins and industrial duplication, once this wine is distributed around the world, pretty oak cases and new prooftags aside, you will never be able to look at it again with the same certainty – but if you must have Jayer – any Jayer for your own cellar – this was a one-off. In the modern world this was as good as it gets.

Of-course, the auctioneer, Baghera, began their business selling what at first glance looked like a lot of wine bearing multiple warning signs that the bottles were junk. And they have never meaningfully addressed the legitimate concerns of those that pointed to the inconsistencies of those bottles and labels – save for pulling a few lots out their auctions – but what happened to those bottles? Essentially, were the family of Jayer and Emmanuel Rouget not fully behind this exercise there would be no credibility. Baghera put on a great show – they also earned about chf 7 million from their commissions. Would I rather it was an auction house that established their credentials with impeccable wine of impeccable provenance – of-course – but if you must have Jayer – any Jayer for your own cellar – this was a one-off. In the modern world this was as good as it gets.

Of-course, the question on everyone’s lips now is ‘What does that mean for the pricing of the wines from Domaine de La Romanée –Conti?’ Can the village Vosne of Henri Jayer actually have more worth than a bottle of Romanée-Conti itself? As a one-off auction, it could; specific vintages aside, there is more Romanée-Conti every year. There is no more Jayer – no more real Jayer anyway. In the longer term, and in the absence of significant fiscal upheavals, this irrational exuberance is unlikely to abate – DRC will regain the top spot, it’s only a question time.

Worth

I’ve (allegedly) had two Jayers in my glass. The first I didn’t believe, the second was credible but not mind-bending.

Friends, colleagues and vignerons all attest to the greatness of what Jayer did, but I and they agree that in the modern vernacular of wine production, Jayer is not exceptional. In fact there are producers today that make wines that are probably better than those of Jayer – and so they should – because they have largely better weather today, a better technical understanding and better equipment. It’s not just those things though, it’s because they have built on what Jayer and others pioneered, aided in no small measure by having the type of money to invest in the tiniest of details that Jayer couldn’t have dreamed of.

Jayer was the best of his era, and whilst I believe his Cros Parantoux may have been better than his Richebourg – because it’s still like that chez Méo, at least for those two parcels and my palate – I doubt very much that it’s as good as La Tâche in the same vintage. That’s still a very high bar of achievement, mind!

Drinking Jayer is naturally about drinking exceptional wine, but it is more about the persona of Jayer and drinking history – history is special and finite – in this world it’s crushingly expensive too.

In full flow…

My pre-sale post.

Henri Jayer, 12 years after his death, remains an iconic winemaker.

It seems a shame then that his life was reduced to mere money yesterday, though it was quite a final payoff for the family, a number of whom were hidden in the Geneva hotel where the sale of (what is said to be) his last bottles took place: 855 bottles and 209 magnums delivering a sales result of 34.5 million swiss francs* (US$ 34.6 million) – the family had anyway drunk most of his remaining Richebourg!
Includes commission.

A place not with the easiest of access, but the hotel was beautifully situated with views over the vines of Canton Genf (Geneva). “The sales room doors will close at 2pm for the auction” said PR Emily Drouhin – seemingly that was more in hope than expectation – at 14h05 the sales room was still only half full, though one thing was clear, the target audience for this sale, or at least the appearance of those that have taken their seats, was predominantly the Orient – maybe 80% so.

As the clock ticked to 14h10, there seemed as many people with bidding paddles keeping cool in the foyer, as had taken their allotted seats – magnums of Vincent Girardin 2012 Corton-Charlemagne helping to soothe their heated palates. I noted one Gil Lempert-Schwarz in the audience, it seems he’s bidding – that’s okay then – I wouldn’t touch anything that he’s selling with a barge-pole!

Eventually, maybe 15 minutes later than scheduled, we get underway with three bottles of 1988 Nuits St.Georges – they sell for 20k** (swiss francs), then a single bottle for 10k, then a dozen 1991s start slowly, they hover around 60k for a long time, before the hammer falls at 75k – modest after the first lots – maybe everyone just wanted to be first! No. 3 bottles of 1996 go for 22k and we are off again.

Can this go on? It’s 1997 Nuits next, a modest vintage for drinking now, but what do I know? 42k! Okay, that was for 6 bottles and it’s only double the high estimate in the catalogue! They went to a bidder in France – Thibaut Marion of Maison Segiun-Manuel fielding one of the phones on behalf of a French entrepreneur – but then a single bottle exits the door for 10k!
**These are all hammer prices, without the auctioneer’s commission of 20% – yes 20%! Plus the wines are stored in bond in Switzerland, so if I bought something I would also have to pay the Swiss tax of 7.7% – other country’s purchase tax varies, but wines returning to France will be charged almost another 20% VAT!

Now it’s time for the first of the premier crus – a single bottle of Nuits Meurgers, a 1976 – 29k. Bids are often in inconsistent increments – 9k, 10k, 11k, 15k – there’s no reason sometimes. The next 3 bottles were knocked down for only 27k – but then people wake up for a magnum of 78 Meurgers – 40k sold to someone in the room. Enthusiasm is easy to spot; “Lot 23 a single bottle of 1986 Nuits Meurgers. Where shall I start – 3,000?” says the auctioneer – “10,000” shouts someone in the room!

An auction is a long process, this auction anyway, with long pauses as bidders are pit against one another. After 3 hours I’ve had enough – and it’s not yet halfway through – but the auctioneer’s same jokes eventually start to grate. The Orient may have had the most representation at the start of the sale, but over two hours in, and not yet at lot number 70, there’s a slow trickle of western faces, clutching large cigars, back-slapping and taking selfies – the audience seems to be evolving – or maybe the vultures are just beginning to circle…
​ 

But the headliners are:

• Lot 135, 6 magnums Vosne-Romanée 1er Cros-­Parantoux 1999 – 528k*
• Lot 160, A vertical of 15 magnums Vosne­-Romanée 1er Cros­-Parantoux, 1978-2001 – 1,164k*
• Lot 212, 1 bottle Richebourg 1986 – 50.4k*

My alternative headliners would be one of his brass wine faucets for 3k, an empty barrel for 6.5k and one of his (still very dirty) wine pipettes for 5.5k. The first and the last I could (almost!) understand – but an empty barrel, devoid of personalisation?

Rest in peace, Henri…

It’s a question of ethics, I suppose. And I don’t know all the details – so maybe some of the ethics are fine – but it’s still a tale that leaves a nasty taste in my mouth.

A retailer in the UK is offering, nudge-nudge, wink-wink, cheap Domaine Leflaive under another label – and of-course they can’t actually say Leflaive, but, wink-wink, it’s Leflaive. That’s how their sales-pitch goes. But why would anyone offer relabelled Leflaive for cheap? Well, for a start there are endless reports on the internet of oxidised wine coming from that domaine since the start of the 2000s, and the tacit acceptance of that by the domaine, by recently changing to DIAM seals in order to combat that.

Of-course, if the retailer is standing behind every bottle, and replacing them if faulty – for instance oxidised – then, to my mind, there is at least the basis for a transaction. But even if that is the case, what about bottles found to be oxidised in another 2 years, or 5, or…

Then of-course we have reason to question the ethics of the producer – assuming that the domaine actually knows what the merchant is doing – and, of-course, why they are doing it! The why is important, because historically, wine with a provenance of being sourced direct from a domaine usually has a premium – not comes (wink-wink) at half price – for that reason I think it may not be the domaine at work. I have seen some suggestion that wine may be from a family member, not actually the domaine itself – then we would have to assume the corks still show the original producer’s name – unlike the labels – if not, why the need to change the corks?

It’s a can of worms, no mistake. I’ll leave you to make up your own minds:

Dear XXX
I am very pleased to let you know I have access to parcels of one of the most exciting opportunities we’ve ever seen come out of Burgundy. Grand & 1er Cru whites, made by one of the region’s great domaines, kept in their cellars for years and re-labelled as Joseph Paget earlier this year. We’re not allowed to say who they’re from, but only one producer makes all of these and in terms of White Burgundy, it doesn’t get any better.
The demand among Burgundy collectors across the globe who recognised what this parcel represents was rapid and meant that 75% of the stocks have sold. I am therefore delighted to present what is left; a handful of cases from the Grand Crus of Chevalier, Batard and Bienvenues Batard Montrachet and 1er Crus from Pucelles and (here’s a big potential clue to the origin) Puligny Montrachet Les Clavoillons.
As this parcel is, to our knowledge, a complete one-off once these remaining cases are sold there will never be more. This is all there is and all there ever will be so if you’d like some, now is the time. I am delighted to offer:
[No need to give you the (low) prices – Bill]
Offered subject to final confirmation.
Many thanks,
Kind regards,
XXX | Private Client Account Manager

[Edit: The wines had been recorked and are now ‘generic.’ The domaine were pretty unhappy when they heard about this. They want to underline that it has absolutely nothing to do with them and that they are pretty unhappy with this type of ‘publicity!’]

Relatively – the offers are coming in, thick and fast – that’s two this week! 🙂 Some more 2016s for you:

VINS ROUGES
Morey Saint-Denis La Rue de Vergy 2016 75cl 94.50 (*Swiss Francs)
Gevrey-Chambertin 2016 75cl 94.50
Nuits St-Georges 1er ‘Les Murgers des Cras’ 2016 75cl 100.80
Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes 2016 75cl 109.80
Vosne-Romanée Vieilles Vignes 2016 75cl 109.80
Vosne-Romanée Les Champs Perdrix Vieilles Vignes 2016 75cl 128.70
Morey Saint-Denis 1er Cru La Riotte Vieilles Vignes 2016 75 cl 163.80
Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts Vieilles Vignes 2016 75cl 193.50
Nuits Saint-Georges 1er Cru La Richemone “Ultra” Vieilles Vignes 2016 75cl 385.00
Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes 2016 75CL 420.00
Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes 2016 75CL 420.00
Mazoyères-Chambertin Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes 2016 75CL 420.00
Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes 2016 75cl 840.00
Chambertin Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes 2016 75cl 840.00

Now I never said that they were going to be cheap!

*These are delivered prices, but this email offer is discounted – whatever is sold from their catalogue is at a higher price!

It’s been a while since I had a BP&F offer – the 2012s – in fact I bought some magnums of the baby Jesus that year. Anyway, some 2016s for you:

VINS BLANCS
Meursault Genevrières 2016 75cl 74.00 (*Swiss Francs)
Meursault Les Perrières 2016 75cl 79.00
Corton-Charlemagne 2016 75cl 149.00
Chevalier-Montrachet 2016 75cl 269.00
Montrachet 2016 75cl 528.00

VINS ROUGES
Volnay Caillerets Ancienne cuvée Carnot 2016 75 cl 68.00
Beaune Grèves Vigne de l’Enfant Jésus 2016 75cl 88.00
Chambertin 2016 75cl 248.00

*As usual, these prices lack 8% Swiss purchase tax, but are otherwise delivered prices.

Exclusive: Burgundy's Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Leases Corton-Charlemagne Vineyard | News | News & Features | Wine Spectator https://t.co/QLMGniupLq

— 🅱️ill nanson (@billnanson) May 15, 2018

The quality of the vineyard work and resulting wines of the new team of DRC are assured, as are the open arms of DRC customers wishing to buy these wines, so, initially, I only have a couple of thoughts on this news:

1. Price. Well, it didn’t take people long did it? In the first minute that the news was posted on the interweb, all the talk was about how the price of Corton-Charlemagne was going to massively increase. But why? There are over 70 hectares of Corton-Charlemagne – 3 hectares is peanuts. The same was said about Corton after the DRC + Florent de Merode agreement, and it never happened. Of-course the DRC Corton is expensive (even from first tier DRC distributors) but a) it remains cheap versus Leroy’s Corton, and b) the wider market pricing for Corton is, seemingly, unaffected since the first DRC wine in 2009. So I don’t see it happening. Of-course Corton-Charlemagne is more sought-after than its red brother and DRC’s Corton-Charlemagne will certainly be expensive, 3-4 times more expensive than Bonneau de Martray were asking, but I’m not expecting the wider market to be significantly affected.
    
2. Why? My main thought is ‘What has gone so wrong, so fast?‘ Why can’t (new) Bonneau du Martray sell their own wine? Is this a marketing strategy that just hasn’t worked out – or quite the reverse – the pragmatic result of their review of strategic options? They historically held a lot of wine back, so are, anyway, not used to (attempting) full commercialisation of each vintage – but given a lot of oxidation problems, the stock that they hold has to have questionable value. Of-course this announcement is intriguing but, honestly, it’s a bit of a stain on the history of Bonneau du Martray. That renting out their vines to DRC is financially more attractive, is hardly surprising news, but to actually choose to follow such a business strategy is shocking…