Beschreibung:

Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Vieilles Vignes 1959
12 bottles per lot
Perfect Provenance Lots 1-53 Initially there was some scepticism, initially the collection seemed too rare, too extraordinary to fathom. In the context of the current auction market and the issues surrounding authenticity and provenance, it was essential to err toward caution, for this collection to be suitable for sale, there needed to be a clear and well-articulated history. The information was relatively scarce at first; a cellar of old Burgundy outside Milan, a cellar, which if the details were correct, included veritable treasures for any lover of rarely seen, singular, old Burgundy. The collection focused on a select few producers and included a number of wines from rare vineyards. Two names stood out – Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé and Domaine Armand Rousseau - two of Burgundy’s most revered Domaines. The vintages in question were excellent and the quantities involved, staggering. On the list there were more than one hundred bottles of Musigny 1964 from de Vogüé, and close to one hundred bottles of Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St. Jacques, Domaine Armand Rousseau from the same vintage. Closer inspection revealed a cache of two full cases of the hallowed 1959 Musigny from de Vogüé and three full cases of Clos St. Jacques 1962 – one of the greatest vintages for this superb wine. All wines were in the original packaging. Fortunately the vendor of these wines was able to provide us with a thick lever-arch file, on which was written Grandi Marche Francesi – this was the file that detailed the business activities of a now defunct wine importing company from the 1960s and 1970s. After days of careful analysis of old catalogues, price lists and letters confirming the exclusivity agreements, the full history of this extraordinary collection of wine started to become clear. To really understand the history and provenance of these wines, we must go back to the 1960s and consider the original collector Lucio Sassone. In 1962 Mr. Sassone was already a successful Milanese entrepreneur who had built successful businesses in the property and automotive industries. His interests were broad ranging, his tastes were for the finest products in many fields; he simply loved collecting. His greatest love was for wine and with this in mind, he worked hard to develop an importing business: Grandi Marche Francesi. He established the company in August 1962 with the intention of supplying restaurants, hotels and private collectors with the finest French wines. Over the next three years, he travelled to France to meet and build relationships with winemakers in Burgundy, Champagne and the Rhône valley, along with producers of Armagnac, Madeira and Port. His business flourished and before long, Grandi Marche Francesi had developed into a major wine distributor in Italy, with distribution rights for the likes of Salon Le Mesnil, Château de Beaucastel, Domaine Henri Lamarche, Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé and Domaine Armand Rousseau and other iconic brands covering many areas of the wine world. So then, we move to this unique collection. Christie’s Wine Specialists travelled to Milan to inspect the stock. The wines had been moved from a country house cellar outside Milan, to a temperature-controlled office for inspection. The wines were still in the original cardboard packaging, many of the boxes had never moved or been opened, they had been delivered to the private cellar of Mr. Sassone, and kept there until they were removed for inspection by Christie’s staff. These bottles form the last remaining section of Mr. Sassone’s private stocks of wine and have been consigned by his son, Alessandro Sassone. To see a full case of a mature vintage of Musigny from de Vogüé is an exciting proposition for a Wine Specialist – to see more than ten cases in their original packaging is a potential one off, a once-in-a-career discovery. The cartons were a joy to carefully open and inspect; the smell of old cardboard and the charm of long-forgotten typefaces on del