Romanée-Conti--Vintage 1945
1 bottle per lot
1945 ROMANÉE-CONTI VINTAGE 1945 ***** A great vintage. Though the war in Europe had ended earlier in the year, labour problems and shortages continued. In the vineyards, the major setback was severe frosts in March and April, otherwise the unaffected vines benefited from a beautiful spring with flowering beginning 20 May (the earliest start between 1940 and 1977) and completed rapidly. On 21 June a sudden and severe cyclone ravaged ten of the principal villages in the Côte de Beaune. The ensuing summer was hot but dry. The result of 'nature's pruning' and low rainfall resulted in a small crop of high quality, concentrated grapes. MB, Vintage Wine HISTORY OF THIS BOTTLE In the days before word processing a wine merchant's news letter was usually one designed under the constraints of a manual typewriter, zero graphics, no illustrations. Assisted by computers today's wine merchant can be much more informative and the buyer well educated as to their purchase. However, what has not changed is the essence of the message. The following then is a brief excerpt from the manual typewritten Draper & Esquin Wine Merchant catalogue from the fall of 1985 describing the provenance of this bottle: "The scope of the Burgundy inventory, alone, is awe-inspiring. To our knowledge this is the largest single offering of so many great Burgundies to be made in this country. There are over 30 cases of wine from the thirties and forties, including the rarest Burgundy of this century, 1945 Romanee-Conti. The name of the man who collected these wines will have been recognized by many of you at first glance. Dr. Lucia was one of the most prominent physicians in the country. A native San Franciscan, he graduated from the University of California at Berkeley. Later he became a full Professor of Medicine and of Preventative Medicine, a department he established and chaired for 26 years at the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco. He was also a lecturer in Medical History and Bibliography. As a world authority on disease of the blood, he published more than 200 articles and papers on related subjects. He was fluent in five languages, an ability that no doubt served him well as President of the Pan-American Medical Association. Particularly relevant to us was Dr. Lucia's fascination with wine. That he was extremely knowledgeable about wines will be obvious to anyone who peruses these pages, but he did a lot more than collect. He was recognized as an international authority on wine and particularly on its effects on the body. He authored eight pioneering books on the subject, including: Wine as Food and Medicine, A History of Wine as Therapy, Alcohol and Civilization, Wine and Health, and The Wine Diet Cookbook. Not surprisingly, he was Director of Medical Research for the California Wine Advisory Board. He was also founder of the Society of the Medical Friends of Wine. He was personally responsible for the establishment of an extensive wine library at the University of California at San Francisco, the first of its kind. He was known as a very discriminating winetaster and served as a Wine Judge for many years at the California State Fair. Because he was a connoisseur of fine cuisine as well he was a member of the Wine and Food Society of San Francisco. He was also a Chevalier in the Confrerie des Chevaliers de Tastevin. It is indeed a privilege to present the lifelong collection of such a man to you. As one would expect, Dr. Lucia's wines were stored under superb conditions. Our tastings throughout the inventory more than assured us of the integrity of the cellar. Draper & Esquin Established 1972 Property of a Gentleman Recently removed by Christie's from a temperature and humidity controlled, private, below ground level, home cellar. Romanée-Conti--Vintage 1945 Côte de Nuits, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Level: 6cm, pristine label; excellent color, cracked wax capsule top, domaine embossed wax capsule, imported by Bellow
Romanée-Conti--Vintage 1945
1 bottle per lot
1945 ROMANÉE-CONTI VINTAGE 1945 ***** A great vintage. Though the war in Europe had ended earlier in the year, labour problems and shortages continued. In the vineyards, the major setback was severe frosts in March and April, otherwise the unaffected vines benefited from a beautiful spring with flowering beginning 20 May (the earliest start between 1940 and 1977) and completed rapidly. On 21 June a sudden and severe cyclone ravaged ten of the principal villages in the Côte de Beaune. The ensuing summer was hot but dry. The result of 'nature's pruning' and low rainfall resulted in a small crop of high quality, concentrated grapes. MB, Vintage Wine HISTORY OF THIS BOTTLE In the days before word processing a wine merchant's news letter was usually one designed under the constraints of a manual typewriter, zero graphics, no illustrations. Assisted by computers today's wine merchant can be much more informative and the buyer well educated as to their purchase. However, what has not changed is the essence of the message. The following then is a brief excerpt from the manual typewritten Draper & Esquin Wine Merchant catalogue from the fall of 1985 describing the provenance of this bottle: "The scope of the Burgundy inventory, alone, is awe-inspiring. To our knowledge this is the largest single offering of so many great Burgundies to be made in this country. There are over 30 cases of wine from the thirties and forties, including the rarest Burgundy of this century, 1945 Romanee-Conti. The name of the man who collected these wines will have been recognized by many of you at first glance. Dr. Lucia was one of the most prominent physicians in the country. A native San Franciscan, he graduated from the University of California at Berkeley. Later he became a full Professor of Medicine and of Preventative Medicine, a department he established and chaired for 26 years at the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco. He was also a lecturer in Medical History and Bibliography. As a world authority on disease of the blood, he published more than 200 articles and papers on related subjects. He was fluent in five languages, an ability that no doubt served him well as President of the Pan-American Medical Association. Particularly relevant to us was Dr. Lucia's fascination with wine. That he was extremely knowledgeable about wines will be obvious to anyone who peruses these pages, but he did a lot more than collect. He was recognized as an international authority on wine and particularly on its effects on the body. He authored eight pioneering books on the subject, including: Wine as Food and Medicine, A History of Wine as Therapy, Alcohol and Civilization, Wine and Health, and The Wine Diet Cookbook. Not surprisingly, he was Director of Medical Research for the California Wine Advisory Board. He was also founder of the Society of the Medical Friends of Wine. He was personally responsible for the establishment of an extensive wine library at the University of California at San Francisco, the first of its kind. He was known as a very discriminating winetaster and served as a Wine Judge for many years at the California State Fair. Because he was a connoisseur of fine cuisine as well he was a member of the Wine and Food Society of San Francisco. He was also a Chevalier in the Confrerie des Chevaliers de Tastevin. It is indeed a privilege to present the lifelong collection of such a man to you. As one would expect, Dr. Lucia's wines were stored under superb conditions. Our tastings throughout the inventory more than assured us of the integrity of the cellar. Draper & Esquin Established 1972 Property of a Gentleman Recently removed by Christie's from a temperature and humidity controlled, private, below ground level, home cellar. Romanée-Conti--Vintage 1945 Côte de Nuits, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Level: 6cm, pristine label; excellent color, cracked wax capsule top, domaine embossed wax capsule, imported by Bellow
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
