Bordeaux 2010 report: Fatigue, readjustment, and a missed opportunity
By Jason Chow
August 21, 2011
Christian Vanneque fulfilled a long-held dream today by finally getting his hands on a bottle of 1811 Chateau d’Yquem. It just so happens that his $117,000 purchase has also put him in the history books.
His prized bottle is the most expensive white wine ever purchased, breaking the previous record of $100,000 in 2006 for a bottle of 1787 Chateau d’Yquem. Mr. Vanneque’s bottle is also a sweet Sauternes from the same Bordeaux chateau, though his purchase was produced in 1811, a year also known as the “comet year.” Oenophiles throughout history attribute the appearance of a comet for the reason why wines were extraordinary that year.
Mr. Vanneque is a former sommelier at the Paris restaurant La Tour d’Argent and one of the experts at the Judgment of Paris wine tasting in 1976 that pitted the top French and California wines against each other. He unveiled the bottle at a London press conference on Tuesday, jointly held with Steven Williams from the Antique Wine Co., which sold the wine.
“For sure, it’s the most expensive bottle I’ve ever bought,” Mr. Vanneque said in an interview.
He now lives in Bali, Indonesia, where he runs SIP Wine Bar. He said that he plans on using the bottle of D’Yquem as a promotional tool for his new venture, SIP Sunset Grill, which is due to open later this summer.
“It will be featured and displayed in a bulletproof showcase, like a painting, so people can see it easily,” Mr. Vanneque said. “This showcase will be temperature- and humidity-controlled. It’ll be a mini-Fort Knox, impossible to open.”
Antique Wine’s Mr. Williams said the bottle came into his possession in 2007 after he bought the entire cellar of a major European private collector. His firm took pains to verify the wines’ authenticity, focusing on the glass of the bottle, the color of the wine, the label, the cork and capsule surrounding the cork. The wine was also inspected by the Chateau, where it was taken for recorking in 2007.
“We looked at the components, and they all compared exactly to [the originals],” he said. “It’s in immaculate condition, which is quite remarkable given that it’s already 200 years old.”
Mr. Vanneque said he doesn’t plan on selling the bottle at his new restaurant, but has marked in his calendar to drink it in 2017 at La Tour d’Argent in Paris to mark the 50th anniversary of his career.
The wine is still very drinkable, he added, unlike a red wine of that age. The same 1811 vintage has received accolades in modern times: The U.S. wine critic Robert Parker tasted the wine in 1996 and gave it a 100-point rating, saying it tasted like “liquefied crème brûlée.”
“I will never resell it, even if a wealthy Chinese gentleman or a rich man from the Middle East offers to buy it,” said Mr. Vanneque. “I’m not a fancy collector. I’m not rich. I work very hard. This is important that it’s not connected to investing. I’m a sommelier. Wine is for drinking.”
Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/scene/2011/07/26/bottle-of-white-sells-for-117000-breaking-record/
Best restaurant in Clark Pampanga attracts food and wine lovers from Manila, Subic and Angeles City Philippines to wine and dine at this fine dining restaurant. This top rated restaurant in Clark Pampanga is frequently visited by travelers from Manila, Subic, Baguio and neighboring provinces like Bulacan and other cities in Pampanga.
Where to go in Pampanga, tourist guide names Yats Restaurant as best restaurant in Pampanga, highly recommend visitors to visit this top rated resto bar in Pampanga Clark Philippines whenever travelling out of town from Manila to Angeles City or Subic. This is one of the most frequently restaurants in Pampanga, particularly favored by wine lovers from Manila and Subic looking for a good bottle of vintage wine at affordable prices. Here in this top rated restaurant in Pampanga, the cuisine is not heavy and guests feel relaxed and properly taken care of so they can enjoy dinner with class. Many ask to visit the famous wine cellars of this restaurant in Pampanga, some taking pictures with the most expensive wines in the Philippines.
Yats Restaurant is the best restaurant for special dinner, best restaurant for dinner with friends near Manila, also the best place to celebrate special events.
Famous Restaurant in Pampanga, a place to dine with friends in Clark, cozy restaurant with a nice ambience, a nice function place for special occassions
Michael Caffrey, new executive chef at Yats Restaurant and Wine bar in Angles City Clark Philippines, revamped menu, fine tuning classic dishes, adjusting prices to more attractive levels, making Yats the Best Restaurant in Clark Pampanga for everyone. This fine dining restaurant in Pampanga maintains very high standards with regards to its food and service.
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(045) 599-5600
0922-870-5178
0917-520-4401
Ask for Pedro and Rechel
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How to get to this fine-dining restaurant in Clark Philippines? Once you get to Clark Freeport, go straight until you hit Mimosa. After you enter Mimosa, stay on the left on Mimosa Drive, go past the Holiday Inn and Yats Restaurant (green top, independent 1-storey structure) is on your left. Just past the Yats Restaurant is the London Pub.
Yats Restaurant & Wine Bar
Mimosa Drive past Holiday Inn, Mimosa Leisure Estate,
Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga, Philippines 2023
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 Rea or Chay
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