You didn’t think that I’d let this slip by eh?

I may have previously mentioned that I bought wine at the last ex-cellars sale of Bouchard Père et Fils wines, in that particular case from Sothebys. At the weekend there was another sale, again featuring ex-cellars wines, but this time it was Christies with the gavel, and just for good measure, the venue Hong Kong, not London.

Of-course it was the impeccably stored 19th-century bottles that took the honours – no less than the 1865 Chambertin, re-corked in 1991 – a snip at USD 39,661. And that’s despite the sale catalogue having to resort to a tasting note dated 1995!

I note that on a per-bottle level, this was easily the most expensive bottle in the sale – and that despite the presence of plenty of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s best…

Or maybe that should be offer of the millennium?

It would set you back a mere $43,400 for one each of these wines – a little over $800 as an average bottle price – clearly a bagatelle for some, though on the other hand, probably enough to fit wells and sanitation to a number of sub-Saharan villages. You pays your money…

Red Burgundy
2013 Domaine Leroy Clos Vougeot Grand Cru (750ml) $2,375.00  (US Dollars)
2013 Domaine Leroy Clos de la Roche Grand Cru (750ml) $2,650.00 
2013 Domaine Leroy Nuits St Georges Aux Bas de Combe (750ml) $555.00 
2013 Domaine Leroy Nuits St Georges Aux Lavieres A.C. (750ml) $555.00 
2013 Domaine Leroy Pommard Les Vignots (750ml) $555.00 
2013 Domaine Leroy Richebourg Grand Cru (750ml) $2,800.00 
2013 Domaine Leroy Romanee St Vivant Grand Cru (750ml) $2,700.00 
2013 Domaine Leroy Savigny Les Beaune Les Narbantons 1er Cru (750ml) $925.00 
2013 Domaine Leroy Volnay Santenots Du Milieu 1er Cru (750ml) $925.00 
2013 Domaine Leroy Vosne Romanee Les Beaumonts 1er Cru (750ml) $975.00 

2012 Domaine Leroy Vosne Romanee Aux Genevrieres (750ml) $825.00 
2012 Domaine Leroy Vosne Romanee Les Beaux Monts VV 1er Cru (750ml) $1,375.00

2011 Domaine Leroy Latricieres Chambertin Grand Cru (750ml) $1,950.00 
2011 Domaine Leroy Nuits St Georges Aux Bas de Combe (750ml) $550.00 
2011 Domaine Leroy Nuits St Georges Aux Boudots 1er Cru (750ml) $850.00 
2011 Domaine Leroy Pommard Les Vignots (750ml) Qty3 $580.00 
2011 Domaine Leroy Savigny Les Beaune Les Narbantons 1er Cru (750ml) $800.00 

2010 Maison Leroy Cote de Beaune Villages A.C. (750ml) $130.00

2009 Domaine Leroy Nuits St Georges Aux Lavieres A.C. (750ml) $555.00 
2009 Domaine Leroy Romanee St Vivant Grand Cru (750ml) $2,950.00 
2009 Domaine Leroy Savigny Les Beaune Les Narbantons 1er Cru (750ml) $825.00 

2009 Maison Leroy Bourgogne Rouge (750ml) $63.00 
2009 Maison Leroy Gevrey Chambertin A.C. (750ml) $405.00 
2009 Maison Leroy Pernand Vergelesses A.C. (750ml) $155.00 
2009 Maison Leroy Santenay A.C. (750ml) $100.00 
2009 Maison Leroy Vosne Romanee A.C. (750ml) $425.00 

2007 Domaine Leroy Nuits St Georges Aux Allots 1er Cru (750ml) $425.00

2006 Maison Leroy Pommard 1er Cru (750ml) $510.00

2005 Maison Leroy Beaune Belissand 1er Cru (750ml) $425.00 

2000 Domaine Leroy Chambolle Musigny Les Charmes 1er Cru (750ml) $650.00 
2000 Domaine Leroy Chambolle Musigny Les Fremieres (750ml) $650.00 
2000 Domaine Leroy Nuits St Georges Aux Allots (750ml) $425.00 
2000 Domaine Leroy Nuits St Georges Aux Bas de Combe (750ml) $725.00 
2000 Domaine Leroy Nuits St Georges Aux Boudots 1er Cru (750ml) $725.00 
2000 Domaine Leroy Pommard Les Vignots (750ml) $400.00 

1996 Domaine Leroy Volnay Santenots (750ml) $765.00

1995 Domaine Leroy Savigny Les Beaune Les Narbantons 1er Cru (750ml) $440.00 

White Burgundy
2011 Domaine Leroy Bourgogne Aligote A.C. (750ml) Qty17 $95.00 
2011 Domaine d’Auvenay Lalou Bize-Leroy Auxey Duresses Clous (750ml) $645.00 
2011 Domaine d’Auvenay Lalou Bize-Leroy Bourgogne Aligote A.C. (750ml) $2,016.00 
2011 Maison Leroy Bourgogne Aligote A.C. (750ml)$65.00 
2011 Maison Leroy Meursault Blagny 1er Cru (750ml) $162.00 
2011 Domaine d’Auvenay Lalou Bize-Leroy Meursault Les Narvaux A.C. (750ml) $1,100.00

2010 Maison Leroy Chassagne Montrachet Morgeot 1er Cru (750ml) $240.00

2009 Maison Leroy Auxey Duresses A.C. (750ml) $185.00 
2009 Maison Leroy Meursault Perrieres 1er Cru (750ml) $330.00 
2009 Maison Leroy Puligny Montrachet Sous le Puits 1er Cru (750ml) $255.00

2008 Maison Leroy Chassagne Montrachet Les Embrazees 1er Cru (750ml) $270.00 

2007 Domaine Leroy Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru (750ml) $2,350.00

2002 Domaine d’Auvenay Lalou Bize-Leroy Auxey Duresses A.C. (750ml) $600.00 
2002 Domaine d’Auvenay Lalou Bize-Leroy Meursault Les Narvaux A.C. (750ml) $1,025.00 

1983 Maison Leroy Auxey Duresses A.C. (750ml) $400.00

Don’t ask me what happened to the 2013s – I’ve seen nothing from this merchant since the 2012s – but suddenly, they are back in action! But it’s a good look at the pricing history in Switzerland, even if the 13s are missing!

In brackets, you will see the equivalent prices from the 2012 offer, the 2011 offer and then the 2010 offer, in the format; 2014 chf (2012 2011 2010):

VILLAGES BLANCS 2014
BOURGOGNE Chardonnay 75cl 22.00 (22.00 20.00 20.00) Swiss francs
MEURSAULT 75cl 44.00 (44.00 39.00 39.00)
Saint Aubin 75 cl 32.00
PULIGNY-MONTRACHET 75cl 48.00 (48.00 42.00 42.00)

PREMIERS CRUS BLANCS 2014
MEURSAULT Les Genevrières 75cl 79.50 (89.50 79.00 68.00)
MEURSAULT Les Perrières 75cl 89.50 (98.00 79.00 69.00)
Puligny Les Perrières 75 cl 79.50
Puligny Les Combettes 75 cl 89.50
Puligny Les Folatières 75 cl 89.50
PULIGNY-MONTRACHET Clos de La Mouchère 75cl not offered (89.50 72.00 68.00)
PULIGNY-MONTRACHET Les Pucelles 75cl not offered (98.00 78.00 72.00)

GRANDS CRUS BLANCS 2014
CORTON CHARLEMAGNE 75cl 139.00 (138.00 99.50 98.00)
CRIOTS BÂTARD MONTRACHET 75cl 249.00 (249.00 168.00 159.00)
BIENVENUES BÂTARD MONTRACHET 75cl 319.00 (319.00 189.00 178.00)
BÂTARD MONTRACHET 75cl 389.00 (399.00 249.00 235.00)
MONTRACHET 75cl not offered (599.00 448.00 399.00)

VILLAGE & PREMIERS CRUS ROUGES 2014
VOLNAY 37.5cl 24.00
VOLNAY 75cl not offered (44.00 39.00 39.00)
Volnay Les Chevrets 75 cl 73.00
VOLNAY Les Caillerets 75cl 79.50 (85.00 69.00 66.00)
POMMARD Les Rugiens 75cl 85.00 (89.00 69.00 69.00)

GRANDS CRUS ROUGES 2014
CLOS DE VOUGEOT 75cl 129.00 (139.00 105.00 98.00)
Bonnes-Mares 75cl 229.00

Largely the same or a little less than in 2012 – I guess that’s the strength of the Swiss Franc talking…

A great story – everything that Maison Ilan should have been…https://t.co/KjyybQOmgO

— 🅱️ill nanson (@billnanson) August 17, 2016

Article link here

It must have been around 1999 that Sotheby’s made the very same ex-cellars sale. It quickly followed the purchase of Bouchard Père et Fils by Henriot (of Champagne). I actually bought a few things as I liked that they came direct from Bouchard’s cellars.

Provenance is, of-course, king, but most of my purchases have been drunk, though maybe I’ve still some 1997 Le Corton (OWC!) left – somewhere!

Fifteen-plus years later, and looking at some of the quoted estimates, I don’t expect that this time round I’ll be buying very much – which is a shame as I quite fancied the mixed case of Volnay Caillerets!

Inter Beaujolais* is the ‘southern‘ equivalent of the BIVB. Yesterday they announced some changes:

At their Extraordinary General Meeting on July 13, the members of Inter Beaujolais endorsed the appointments of Dominique Piron as President and David Ratignier as Vice-President. Every two years these positions switch between ‘traders’ and ‘growers’ – we now enter the grower’ phase.

Dominique Piron, 66 is a grower from Morgon and David Ratignier, 46, is a grower in Saint-Etienne-la-Varenne. For the full announcement, in French, click here.

*The Interprofessional des Vins du Beaujolais was formed in 1959 and has responsibility for the 12 Beaujolais appellations. This encompasses an area of ​​16,000 hectares in 2 départments (Rhone and Saone et Loire), producing roughly 100 million bottles per year, representing nearly 2000 winemakers, 12 wine cooperatives and over 150 Maisons de négoce.