This Bottle of 1961 Paul Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle was attained a record High auction price of HKD$50,000.00 a bottle last year at Acker & Merrall summer auction. Soon later it appeared in a Geneva Christie with a Historical high of final bidding price of 66,000 Pounds for 6 bottles. The historical record of Red Wine Auction! Someone estimated that is an offer from a Chinese. If not Chinese. Who else!? Japanese or Korea? No way!
Paul Jaboulet is the name of this French winery, Hermitage is a wine-growing appellation in northern Rhône on a hill with an old hermit's chapel. La Chapelle is a church. That St. Christophe Chapel has been there since 1235. The Church belongs to Paul Jaboult, however Chateau La Lagune has acquired the Paul Jaboulet winery business.
This winery produces 90,000 bottle of wine every year. This 1961 bottle has 100% Syrah, known to be complex and blended with sophisticated aroma. Robert Parker rated this great bottle 100 points. Anticipated for another 30-50 years. If I had money I would not care to taste it with a sip at HKD$5,000.00!
HK Snob
Texas Real Estate Developer Marcus Hiles carried his 6,500 bottles of fine wine for Southey’s auction. Within that collection, there were 1,030 of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti. That is the historical largest Asia Southey’s action item, there are some 2005 DRC. Estimated actions price for 12 bottles of 2005 DRC is HKD800,000 to HKD1,200,000.
After Laffite 1896, 1947, 1982, perhaps Marguax 1900 (it is still too young to drink, perhaps we have to wait for another 20 years), Mouton 1945. Petrvs 1961, 1989, Latour 1959….After all you have to try different wine like 2005 DRC?
HK Snob
Have you ever wanted to make your own luxury-class wine? This is now possible, thanks to the partner Crushpad. For the past 8 years, Crushpad has made premium wines on behalf of private clients throughout the world. Each customer decides on the style of wine they want to produce, selects the vineyards and grapes and decides on the final blend under the expert supervision of Crushpad's renowned wine makers.
Since the 2009 vintage, Crushpad has operated from Saint Emilion with access well-located parcels throughout Bordeaux (Margaux, Pauillac, St Emilion...). They've also hired one of the world's renowned wine making consultants, Eric Boissenot (wine consultant of Lafite, Latour, Margaux, Pichon Baron, Leoville Barton, Palmer and many others...) to oversee vineyard selection and management as well as winemaking and client blending support.
All wines are produced in Saint Emilion at Chateau Teyssier, under the winemaking supervision of Jonathan Maltus, producer of top rated wines (Le Dome, Les Asteries and Vieux Chateau Mazerat).
Crushpad is now proposing to do YOUR 2010 vintage:
How it works:
1) You select a barrel (minimum order, ie 300 bt) based on the style of Bordeaux you want to produce (fruity, strong, rounds, more or less tannins, a wine to age or to drink, etc...).
2) With the support of Crushpad's team, including Eric Boissenot, you will make the selection of grapes from specific varietals (cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc) and parcels. Most of these parcels are located within or next to prestigious chateau (Sociando Mallet, Le Tertre, Prieure Lichine, Pichon Baron, Tertre Daugay...) and were selected specifically for their quality and terroir. More details on the parcels are available in the attached document.
3) You choose a preliminary blend percentages (70% Cabernet, 30% Merlot....) to respond to your wine style.
4) You participate as much or as little as you like in the winemaking process. If you can't make it to Bordeaux, you monitor the wine process online and can contact Crushpad in Bordeaux at any time for changes or adjustments.
5) You adjust the blend to your taste while the wine is aging in barrel. You can do so at Crushpad's "Primeur" event in April 2011, where Eric Boissenot and Crushpad's winemaking team are on hand to finalize the blend directly with you. If you can not come, samples will be sent to you with suggestions for blend modification.
6) You design your own label, packaging, bottling. Crushpad has a team of four designers to respond to your specific label design requirements.
The whole process can take from 14 month to 24 months. Of course, should you want to travel to Bordeaux and visit your wine in progress, you can do so at any time. Best would be in April during the "En Primeurs" tastings, where you taste your barrel samples, meet the other owners and blend with Eric Boissenot and Crushpad's winemakers. (See enclosed South China Morning Post article with the popular HK Actress Bernice Liu and her 2009 vintage !)
You are the wine maker and you are assured to get a 100% excellent wine at the end thanks to the ideal location of each of the parcels (cf attach documents), the excellent advise from all the wine makers at Crushpad and of course Eric Boissenot.
As a reference point, Crushpad clients have produced a number of wines rated between 90 and 94 points by Robert Parker, The Wine Spectator and the Wine Enthusiast. Even further, one client was named by the Wine Spectator one of the 20 best 'newcomers', with a 92 point rating.
Act fast as the 2010 harvest is about to begin and barrels are limited. Prices start at HK$ 72,500 per barrel (equivalent 300 bt delivered in wooden case or HK$ 241 per bt) and depend on the vineyards selected.
Contact Simon Tai, Director of Connoisseur Wines [simon@connoisseur-wines.com.hk]
HK Snob
This is another bottle of Leoville Poyferre in the year of 2001 from my wine cellar.
I have been drinking a few bottle of this Leoville for different years.
This is a mellow, good to last for one and half hour wine for your dinner. It took at least 30 minutes to breath.
The taste is mild, a sense of heavy oak, lead and flowers. Good for Chinese Roasted Goose Leg, (left one of course) and Beef.
in my opinion, it has a score of 90.
HK Snob
