p. 1

finest and rarest wines featuring the bordeaux winebank 2000 collection part i new york 13 november 2010

[close]

p. 2

[close]

p. 3

[close]

p. 4

[close]

p. 5

finest and rarest wines featuring the bordeaux winebank collection auction in new york saturday november i am bringing our saleroom to your home office or anywhere you have an internet connection we are excited to offer live online bidding in all of our wine auctions in new york london and hong kong this season ­ you can join the action to listen watch and bid from wherever you are located if you are unable to attend the live auction register for live online bidding at sothebys.com/wine registration closes 24 hours before the sale wine lunch lunch will be served to all registered bidders exhibition monday xx month tuesday xx month wednesday xx month thursday xx month friday xx month saturday xx month sunday xx month monday xx month iiiiiiii am am am am am am pm am pm pm pm pm pm pm pm pm york avenue new york ny

[close]

p. 6

sotheby s wine contacts for a full listing of our offices and salerooms worldwide with detailed information on all of sotheby s services visit sothebys.com serena sutcliffe m.w head of international wine +44 020 7293 6423 new york london paris jamie ritchie president michelle parenti assistant vice president auction duncan sterling assistant vice president benjamin bradford conner kriegel jessica friedman claire barker +1 212 606 7050 retail stephen mould senior director james reed director damian tillson deputy director claire collini deputy director frédéric guyot du repaire caroline shepherd elise purchas elizabeth marett +44 020 7293 6423 los angeles caroline bessière +31 1 53 05 52 84 beijing forthcoming auctions a comprehensive calendar of international auctions in addition to all sale results can be viewed at sothebys.com new york 4 december 2010 5 march 2011 hong kong 29 30 october 2010 22 23 january 2011 london 17 november 2010 8 december 2010 jackie lien +86 10 8532 2323 jakarta deborah iskandar +62 21 5797 3603 shanghai jackie lien +86 21 6288 7500 singapore eli rodriguez alex zink adam eisenberg +1 212 894 1990 hong kong ann colgin consultant +1 310 274 0340 brussels catherine kee +65 6732 8239 taipei robert sleigh senior director michelle chan vincent law +852 2822 8174 vinciane de traux +32 2 627 71 97 deborah quackelbeen +32 2 627 71 93 amsterdam sandra yeh +886 2 2757 6689 caroline van leuven +31 20 550 2244 geneva benjamin lamers +41 22 908 4811 important notice please note that all lots are sold subject to our conditions of sale and terms of guarantee which are set forth at the back of this catalogue as stated in the conditions of sale all lots are sold on an as is basis prospective bidders should review the conditions of sale terms of guarantee and the buying at auction section of this catalogue please see the back of this catalogue for further notices © sotheby s inc 2010 all rights reserved tobias meyer principal auctioneer license no 958677 liquor license number 1046028 wine auctionpermit number 385992

[close]

p. 7

specialists and auction enquiries for further information on lots in this auction please contact any of the specialists listed below sale number n08686 shaken bid department switchboard and general information +1 212 606 7000 or visit sothebys.com catalogue serena sutcliffe head of international wine +44 020 7293 6423 +1 212 606 7050 serena.sutcliffe@sothebys.com maureen millard +1 212 606 7414 fax +1 212 606 7016 telephone bid requests should be received 48 hours prior to the sale payment shipping $45 at the gallery catalogue subscriptions single orders +1 212 606 7418 fax +1 212 606 7880 sale administrator +1 888 752 0002 or +1 541 322 4151 auction results are available on our website jamie ritchie president +1 212 606 7050 jamie.ritchie@sothebys.com jessica friedman jessica.friedman@sothebys.com +1 212 606 7050 fax +1 212 606 7880 events marketing press duncan sterling assistant vice president +1 212 606 7050 duncan.sterling@sothebys.com michelle parenti assistant vice president michelle.parenti@sothebys.com +1 212 606 7056 fax +1 212 606 7880 ben bradford +1 212 606 7050 benjamin.bradford @sothebys.com connor kriegel +1 212 606 7050 connor.kriegel@sothebys.com eli rodriguez +1 212 606 7050 eli.rodriguez@sothebys.com alex zink +1 212 606 7050 alex.zink@sothebys.com a complete listing of specialist departments and international offices is available at sothebys.com

[close]

p. 8

[close]

p. 9

contents auction information specialists and auction enquiries finest rarest wines lots ­x index of wines shipping collection storage form location storage and delivery of wines glossary of abbreviations conditions of sale conditions for online bidding important information for purchasers at wine sales sales use and tax guide for absentee bids absentee bidding form front cover lot xx back cover lots xx-xx

[close]

p. 10

about bordeaux winebank bordeaux winebank is a subsidiary of bwb group which includes all of henning thoresen s wine ventures in norway luxembourg france and singapore with an estimated inventory under management of usd 110 million bordeaux winebank has built up an impressive collection of top classified bordeaux as is illustrated by the great 2000s in this sale the business is the brainchild of norwegian businessman henning thoresen who has spent two decades fine tuning his idea of what constitutes ideal provenance resulting in the introduction of bordeaux winebank s certified five star provenance system this patented process ensures the authenticity and perfect condition of all the wines which have documented ex château provenance are in their original wood cases and have always been kept in professional climate-controlled storage in bordeaux until their shipment to new york for this sale all wine that is traded by bordeaux winebank has the supporting documentation that it has come directly from the château or from a secondary source in bordeaux the definition of a secondary source in this context is a major bordeaux négociant who has a direct allocation from the château each case sold by bordeaux winebank is rendered unique using advanced track and trace software four tamper-proof seals are applied to each case and these are scanned into the advanced track and trace database creating a unique identity for each case a corresponding seal is created and applied to a certificate of provenance for this sale sotheby s will forward each certificate it receives from bordeaux winebank to the purchaser upon delivery five star provenance the criteria are 1 2 3 4 all wines must be sold exclusively in original wooden case owc all wines must have documented ex château provenance all cases must remain in professional storage in bordeaux since bottling professional storage facilities must be temperature and humidity controlled and monitored 24/7 5 annual certification of procedures by a qualified auditor

[close]

p. 11

­ the first vintage of the century the expectation not to mention the excitement attached to this first year of the new century was always in the stratosphere and miraculously 2000 turned out to be a fabulous bordeaux vintage someone `on high must have had the interests of wine lovers at heart because the brilliance and the consistency of these wines with `the three zeros have never been in doubt in fact the reality was so stupendous that it was not too fanciful to think that the quality of 2000 could be compared to the incomparable 1900s while admitting that i was not around to taste that historic vintage while it was young it is fair to say that there have been such huge changes in climate the vineyard and the cellar in the hundred years between 1900 and 2000 that the character of the wines is somewhat different however it is certain that great intrinsic quality is common to both these landmark years it is frightening to think that if the climatic conditions of the first part of 2000 had been experienced 30 years before much of the vintage would have been lost by the end of july the worst attack of mildew since the 19th century was controlled by treatments and some warm weather in june bordeaux 2000 was made by the exceptional weather between 29 july and 10 october august was very hot and temperatures between 8-11 september rose to 30 °c ­ 33 °c the merlots were picked from 14 september on the right bank and from 16 september in the médoc thick skins and high alcohol levels gave exceptional quality cabernet franc excelled on the right bank providing power as well as their signature finesse ­ they were mostly picked during the week of 2 october the cabernet sauvignon then took over between 2-10 october they were superb and thus we have great médocs the taste of bordeaux in short the wines are stunning great grapes were gathered in ideal conditions with virtually no rain during harvest and this is good news when this happens only an idiot can get it wrong there is wonderful fruit aromatic spiciness thick texture with lots of sweet glycerol and fantastic tannic structure there were tannin readings of 90 on the index but they are totally covered by the fruit and glycerol never tasting aggressive at any stage of their short life so far so what is the extra special hallmark of 2000 amazingly given the rich tannic elements of the wines there is also delightful freshness which leaves one longing for more always the sign of a perfect bordeaux this is not a right bank versus left bank year ­ it is a vintage where great wines were made on great terroirs every top château really shows its true personality which is a mark of an outstanding vintage this is also illustrated by the fact that excellent wines were made at all levels a very reassuring aspect of the vintage bordeaux 2000 is a sumptuous yet classic year combining everything that this noble region of france represents i returned from the en primeur tastings of this vintage feeling totally exhilarated and i still feel this way every time i pull the cork of a 2000 these wines make you feel lucky to be alive serena sutcliffe m.w head of international wine

[close]

p. 12

chateau lafite throughout the centuries lafite has proved that this is a wine that ages in the most ethereal way lafite combines elegance breed and scent with sustained power a miracle of balance and nobility the extraordinary terroir and position in pauillac have always been matched by the rothschilds sense of quality and vision resulting in a wine that has mythical status continuity is vital in producing a great wine and the wine-making brilliance of charles chevallier from the 1990s to the present day has added extra lustre to this exceptional liquid with the fame of the property spreading further throughout the world when serving lafite decant it well in advance of drinking as its bouquet and taste amplify to multi-faceted dimensions on contact with the air at the château itself they double decant back into the original bottle with its unchanging instantly recognisable label lafite matures slowly developing gloriously with bottle age as historic tastings have shown collect lafite for yourself and watch it grow ss château lafite pauillac 1er cru classé great scent dominated by loganberries when it was young superb juicy black fruit on the palate such a ripe finish mouthwatering all the way through in 2010 that real total super-healthy 2000 nose to it one now senses the opulence of this wine with all its layers such a vivid taste of plums such fresh acidity ­ still a baby this will last a century if desired so think two generations on ss see illustration 12 bts owc 12 bts owc 12 bts owc 12 bts owc 12 bts owc per lot $16,000-25,000 chateau lafite rothschild rey bordeaux i 10 i

[close]

p. 13

[close]

p. 14

© julie rey bordeaux

[close]

p. 15

chateau latour the power and glory of latour are undisputed the consistency of latour due to its fabulous gravel soil great situation near the gironde and a succession of inspired winemakers is unrivaled it is a wine that can start slowly and then takes off like a rocket it is always profound with many layers of taste a real reflection of the heart of pauillac latour is famous for producing impressive wine in more modest vintages but it knows how to seize great vintages and make them monuments ss château latour pauillac 1er cru classé archetypal pauillac nose stunning so much cocoa and coffee plus immensely opulent fruit such great freshness at the end so succulent an unqualified success ss see illustration 12 bts owc 12 bts owc 12 bts owc 12 bts owc 12 bts owc 12 bts owc 12 bts owc 12 bts owc 12 bts owc 12 bts owc per lot $10,000-15,000 lots i 13 i

[close]