By Julie Carpentier
It wasn't at a dinner party…
There was that first meeting in 2005. It wasn't at a dinner party or an in situ tasting, but in the hustle and bustle of a major trade show, where one meets dozens of people every day. But this encounter made a lasting impression on me. Although we didn't have a glass of wine nor any food on our plates, the lively conversation on Bordeaux wines was of the same nature, just as – if not more – passionate and intense as if we were sitting at a table discussing the wine in our glasses.
A lasting impression…
“To drink wine means to be able to talk about it” – that meeting in 2005 left a lasting impression on me, because it embodied this adage in every way. And the person I met that day has invariably made me feel that way each time we've met since.
A gentleman's passion
The remarkable collection of fine Bordeaux wines that we are delighted to present in the “A beautiful day” series of sales (the live room auction is to be held on 8 October and the online sale will take place 9 October) is the perfect expression of this gentleman's passion. We met him in 2005, and in 2023 he is doing us the honour of entrusting us with the apple of his eye: his collection of fine Bordeaux wines (and a few other gems, notably from the Loire).
Admirable vintages
Naturally, there's passion: it's been the beating heart of this collection for over 40 years. All the most admirable vintages of the last four decades are assembled among the thousands of bottles that make up this rare collection.
Ultra-rare formats
There's respect and admiration for the terroirs and the people who make the wine: this collection is the fruit of sincere and lasting relationships between a number of estates on both banks of Bordeaux and some of the greatest La Place négociants, which have given rise to some highly sought-after wines in coveted vintages and ultra-rare formats!
Care & attention
Then there's the constant care and attention: having travelled several hundred kilometres from Bordeaux, all the bottles, without exception, were kept in their original wooden cases in an air-conditioned cellar with perfectly controlled temperature and humidity. Under the rigorous and benevolent supervision of the collector, owner of these bottles, the wines have lain, since their successive arrivals, vintage after vintage, without ever having been moved. The only handling authorised was the removal of the wooden cases by the Baghera/wines team last spring to transport the precious convoy to the Geneva FreePorts.
Last but not least, there will be sharing: in October, this entire collection will be auctioned live from the Beau-Rivage Hotel in Geneva on Sunday 8 and online the following day, Monday 9. It will certainly be an emotional time for this gentleman, but what a relief and joy it will be to see that all the love and care he has put into assembling this collection will be recognised by all of you, connoisseurs of fine and great wines, because you know how much they convey emotion and pleasure when they touch our taste buds and enter into communion with all our senses.
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