We were tickled pink when we got the call about this collection that needed a new home. Two generations of one family had been collecting wines over several years making this a very interesting proposition. Nestled neatly in a temperature-controlled cellar, the collection was littered with gems from yesteryear, keeping good company amongst many everyday drinkers. Seldom do we receive a single collection that is an expression of the tastes of two collectors - this truly is a unique opportunity. That said, these collectors obviously shared a penchant for botrytised and late harvest wines from these fair shores, the ‘west island’ and Sauternes as well (with a couple of real highlights there!). Provenance is so important when buying wines on the secondary market and that’s why we love representing collections from larger temperature-controlled cellars.
We come out swinging with 1998 Te Mata Coleraine straight off the bat, which is ably supported by other Coleraine vintages as well as Awatea from Te Mata. Your favourites from Trinity Hill, Babich, Vidals Reserve, Esk Valley, The Antipodean, and St Nesbit are all here, and another wine from the stellar 1998 vintage – Church Road Tom.
If aged Pinots are your bag, we have some of the best as well as a bit of history. Ata Rangi, Mark Rattray and Danny Schuster were all at the forefront of quality Pinot Noir production in New Zealand, and we have early examples from these producers in this sale. I’ve been in the wine industry long enough to remember the weak and insipid wines that were around in the 1980s and these producers were some of the first to make Pinots that were inviting and immensely drinkable. Other pioneers in the Pinot section include early Central Otago producers Rippon, Bannock Brae, Chard Farm and Black Ridge, Pegasus Bay from Waipara and Palliser Estate from Martinborough. A terrific showcase of New Zealand oenology.
There is an abundance of white wines from New Zealand in this curated selection including Chardonnay, aged Riesling (look out for the early Dry River) and many aged dessert style wines from Dry River, Giesen, Pegasus Bay and Rongapai.
The “west island” puts its best foot forward with gems from Penfolds Bin 707 and Grange, Henschke Cyril and Hill of Grace, and Yalumba Octavius from South Australia along with a personal fav’ Lake's Folly, from the Hunter. You don’t have to look hard to find aged Rieslings and Semillons with bottles of the outstanding Tyrrells Vat 1 from the early 1990s. These wines, stored well, can last an incredible amount of time and can be immensely rewarding. Again, the dessert style wines are a highlight with de Bortoli Noble One (so old that they still use the reference of Sauternes on the label), Orlando Gramps and many examples from Brown Brothers in Victoria.
There are some mature Brunello’s on show from Italy along with a couple of bottles of Tignanello from the 1980s and 90s. The ullage on the Tignanello’s was a little more than what we would expect so we have priced these appropriately - they could prove to be absolute bargains.
We start France, as every occasion should, with Champagne before moving north into Alsace with some lovely, aged examples before moving south into the Rhone with mature Chateauneuf and some everyday drinkers.
The sparks start really flying when we head towards the west coast with Sauternes and Bordeaux. Chateaux d’Yquem and Climens are highlights but there are plenty to choose from. Bordeaux from the 1970s, 80s, 90s and early 2000s show the depth of this cellar and wines that should be at the peak of their maturity.
The auction finishes with a wine from Slovakia and Tokaji Aszu from Hungary.
Some of the wines featured in this auction have been purchased from Fitzgerald’s - we have marked those wines to help you with informed decisions.
As with buying any second-hand goods there can be risk. This risk can be mitigated through reviewing widely available vintage reports and critic reviews and imposing realistic expectations. The reward however, of a fine wine at its absolute peak of maturity, offering its full range of primary, secondary and tertiary flavours should be significant enough for most to negate the occasional disappointment.
So, if the risk-reward scales are deemed favourable, we have a lovely selection of wines at various stages of maturity available in our current auction. Happy browsing and please bid responsibly.
All bids are binding.
