This auction is taking place on September 12th at Restaurant DANIEL in New York City. Wally’s is a Los Angeles based company, but they host many of their sales in New York City. They have only been in the auction game for a few years and they’ve had some turnover, but they’re finding their way.
I’ve been to one of their events in person and followed a few online. I’ve had mixed results, but there are some lots I want to point out in this auction.
Lot 30, 31, and 32 – Chateau D’Issan 2000
Here we have a few lots from Chateau D’Issan, including two with magnums. Issan is located in Margaux and is one of the Third Growths from the Classification of 1855. They do not make much, just over 6,000 cases per year of their first wine. This is a great example of the Margaux style.
Lot 120 – Sociando Mallet 1990
Roughly $80 per bottle. From Haut-Medoc, this is a known maker with a strong cult following. People love this stuff, partly for how affordable this is. Show me other quality producers in Bordeaux who you can buy for under $100 for a wine that is 25 years old. If you look on wine-searcher.com, this is definitely a fair price for this wine.
Lot 160 – Chassagne-Montrachet Les Champs Gains Marc Colin 2004
Montrachet oh Montrachet. How did we get such a remarkable vineyard on dear old earth. It is a shame we can’t buy wine from that grand cry at this price. We will have to settle for Les Champs. Still nothing to sneeze at, this is a fantastic Premier Cru. Chassagne-Montrachet shares two Grand Crus with it’s neighbor Puligny-Montrachet. The two it shares are Montrachet and Bâtard-Montrachet. It has it’s own Grand Cru as well, Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet. Some Pinot Noir is produced, but this commune primarily produces Chardonnay.
Last year, I bought a case of Les Champs Gains from Niellon. Damn, I felt lucky. I plowed through those in a New York minute. At 10 years old, these are delicious and with fantastic texture.
Lot 164 – Corton-Charlemagne Domaine des Heritiers Jadot 2005
Cotton-Charlemagne from Jadot. While we may have mixed feelings about the Jadot label, when doing tastings of old and rare, they are always a pleasure to drink. I recall the 1978 Musigny I tasted this summer specifically. What does this have to do with this lot. I want to illustrate the quality of Jadot. Do not be nervous they make cheap mass market wine, they know what they are doing. You will be in good hands with this lot.The Domaine des Heritiers means it is from one of their own vineyards, not from their negociant activities.
This is a Grand Cru lot from the Aloxe-Corton and Pernand-Vergelesses, another Grand Cru split between two communes. Corton is Pinot Noir and Corton-Charlemagne is Chardonnay.
Lot 282, 283, and 284 – Chassagne-Montrachet – Les Caillerets Ramonet 94
More Chassagne-Montrachet from Ramonet this time. To understand how important Ramonet is, take a look at this article on the family from Clive Coates MW. You already know I love this commune and Ramonet is the master of these white wines. Do not underestimate these lots.
Lot 405 – Pape Clement 2006
I was always taught Pape Clement was a top producer in Bordeaux. Auction prices these days do not reflect this. We also have a 2006, which suffered in pricing. The 2005 vintage was a fantastic one. Parker have it 100 points and the vintage that followed was nowhere near as good. The Chateaus had to drop their prices from 2005, something we don’t see anymore, they just raised prices regardless. At roughly 60 bucks a bottle, this is interesting. The wine will still need time in the cellar, but almost all of us have some time.
Lot 636 – Château de Beaucastel 95
Beaucastel means a lot to me. It was one of the first Chateauneufs I had. I purchased a case of this for my brother for his 21st birthday. It is such a fun wine. Beaucastel is the only maker in CdP to use all 13 grapes in their blend. It is a fantastic wine and can certainly be aged. This is likely drinking great now and will have strength for the future.
Lot 637 – Hermitage Jaboulet 98
From another part of the Rhône, we have Hermitage from Jaboulet. Also a fantastic maker. Google, do some of your own research and add your own comments. What do you think? Do you like this lot? You know I do, or I wouldn’t have put it on this list.
Lot 644 – Mixed Rhone including Guigal and Rostaing 9 botles 320 bucks
This is an odds and ends lot. 9 bottles for $320 is definitely their way of saying this lot needs to go. It likely has no reserve. Watch this one and see if it gets cheap. This is the auction equivalent of a grab bag.
Lot 646 – Vertical of Vieux Telegraphe
Here we have a weird vertical of Vieux Telegraphe from CdP. Again, definitely a bit of a grab bag. Could be fun for a tasting with some friends. Vieux Telegraphe is one of those storied makers within Chateauneuf de Pape.
Lot 800 on – Lucien Le Moine
There are too many interesting lots here from Lucien Le Moine. Lucien Le Moine is a negotiant who produces very high quality wines. Take a look here and if you see a lot you are thinking on bidding, post it in the comments and I’ll give my feedback.
Lot 856 on – Domaine Perrot-Minot
Domaine Perrot Minot is a very small maker in Morey-Saint-Denis. They have some fantastic Grand Cru property and they make very high quality wines. Some of these Grand Crus are very affordable given the quality. They will likely need time in the cellar, but be patient and you will be rewarded. Again, same as the above deal with Lucien Le Moine, post in the comments which lots you want to read more about. The last Perrot-Minot lot is 921.