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2 bottles per lot
Details
Champagne
Let's say it once and for all: bubbles do not champagne make. Champagne must be from the region of Champagne. We'll say it: champagne is the greatest sparkling wine in the world. Not all champagne is created equal, of course, but in the best wines, from the best vintages, there is no sparkler that can match the delicacy, raciness, freshness and ageability of champagne. What might surprise wine drinkers who are only accustomed to opening bubbly on New Year's Eve is that top champagnes are at their best when they have been allowed to age in bottle. With their high acidity and carbonation, the best champagnes can age for a hundred years. Christie's, in fact, sold six bottles of 1911 Moët just last November, and one that was tasted was found to be intensely complex and delicious-far more than a museum piece. In this sale, champagne is represented by a single lot of 1990 Bollinger "RD." The "RD" stands for récemment dégorgé, or "recently disgorged," and therein is the secret to this wine's complexity. The production process of champagne is complex. First, a still white wine is made. Then this wine is bottled along with a mixture of sugar and yeast knows as liqueur de tirage, and the bottle is corked. As the yeast processes the sugar, carbonation is released and dissolved in the wine, which gives champagne its characteristic bubbles. At this point, the champagne will be aged at the winery for varying amounts of time-in the case of 1990 Bollinger RD, eleven years. The wine rest on the dead yeast cells, which are said to impart richness and complexity to the wine. In September of 2001, the champagne was "disgorged," meaning the dead yeast cells were removed from the wine, and recorked. What we're offering here is a prime example of a mature champagne ready, after over 20 years, for drinking now.
Bollinger RD--Vintage 1990
Aÿ
Disgorgement Date: September 12, 2001
2 bottles per lot
Let's say it once and for all: bubbles do not champagne make. Champagne must be from the region of Champagne. We'll say it: champagne is the greatest sparkling wine in the world. Not all champagne is created equal, of course, but in the best wines, from the best vintages, there is no sparkler that can match the delicacy, raciness, freshness and ageability of champagne. What might surprise wine drinkers who are only accustomed to opening bubbly on New Year's Eve is that top champagnes are at their best when they have been allowed to age in bottle. With their high acidity and carbonation, the best champagnes can age for a hundred years. Christie's, in fact, sold six bottles of 1911 Moët just last November, and one that was tasted was found to be intensely complex and delicious-far more than a museum piece. In this sale, champagne is represented by a single lot of 1990 Bollinger "RD." The "RD" stands for récemment dégorgé, or "recently disgorged," and therein is the secret to this wine's complexity. The production process of champagne is complex. First, a still white wine is made. Then this wine is bottled along with a mixture of sugar and yeast knows as liqueur de tirage, and the bottle is corked. As the yeast processes the sugar, carbonation is released and dissolved in the wine, which gives champagne its characteristic bubbles. At this point, the champagne will be aged at the winery for varying amounts of time-in the case of 1990 Bollinger RD, eleven years. The wine rest on the dead yeast cells, which are said to impart richness and complexity to the wine. In September of 2001, the champagne was "disgorged," meaning the dead yeast cells were removed from the wine, and recorked. What we're offering here is a prime example of a mature champagne ready, after over 20 years, for drinking now.
Bollinger RD--Vintage 1990
Aÿ
Disgorgement Date: September 12, 2001
2 bottles per lot