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The April 2022 Auction: Part 4
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1 / 2Lot 1307
Estimate: $8,500
~5cm, worn, heavily corroded, and heavily wine stained Berry Bros. & Rudd capsule, nicked, wine stained, scuffed, and heavily bin soiled label, signs of past seepage. "Bottled about 1840 / Formerly the property of the Princely Family of Bretzenheim Which became extinct in 1863 / The wine was walled-in during the Hungarian Revolution of 1849 and was rediscovered in 1925. Imported into England in 1925 by Berry Bros. & Rudd"
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Collection name
Reviews
******MB
"There is much evidence that [Tokaji] appealed to English connoisseurs in the 18th and early 19th centuries (Christie's archives reveal that Tokaji appeared in a catalogue dated 1770, only four years after James Christie set up his auction business). Another appreciative connoisseur was Thomas Jefferson who imported and served 'rich Tokay' ('for which I paid a guinea a bottle') at his presidential banquets in the early 1800s. The aftermath of World War One was disastrous for Hungarian landowners and trade. In 1925 a remarkable cache of old wines was literally unearthed and purchased by Berry Bros. Their 1927 price list includes early 19th-century vintages 'from the Princely House of Bretzenheim which became extinct in 1863.' It seems the family, concerned that the revolutionary forces of 1848 would seize their property, walled up their valuable old wines . . . . [1811 is the] 'Comet vintage' and possibly the greatest vintage of the 19th century throughout European wine regions. [Tasting the] Tokay Essence From the Bretzenheim cellar, mentioned above: I treated myself to an expensive bottle at one of Christie's sales and my wife and I sat up in bed, glasses in hand, on 31 December 1972 to see in the New Year. Its colour was old amber, murky, and not very bright, due to the slow-to-settle sediment which can be heavy in old Tokay (which is why it should always be stored upright). Its fragrance and flavour were out of this world, 'ambrosial nectar' I gushingly wrote, 'intensely rich, piquant, reminiscent of crushed raisins, powerful and lingering; on the palate, sweet, indescribably luscious, concentrated, with wonderful binding acidity, long tenacious flavour.' It is the only wine I have ever tasted which did not have a 'finish.' It just went on, and on. Tasted 1972-73 ****** (6 stars).
Region
Sweet White
Country
Score
"There is much evidence that [Tokaji] appealed to English connoisseurs in the 18th and early 19th centuries (Christie's archives reveal that Tokaji appeared in a catalogue dated 1770, only four years after James Christie set up his auction business). Another appreciative connoisseur was Thomas Jefferson who imported and served 'rich Tokay' ('for which I paid a guinea a bottle') at his presidential banquets in the early 1800s. The aftermath of World War One was disastrous for Hungarian landowners and trade. In 1925 a remarkable cache of old wines was literally unearthed and purchased by Berry Bros. Their 1927 price list includes early 19th-century vintages 'from the Princely House of Bretzenheim which became extinct in 1863.' It seems the family, concerned that the revolutionary forces of 1848 would seize their property, walled up their valuable old wines . . . . [1811 is the] 'Comet vintage' and possibly the greatest vintage of the 19th century throughout European wine regions. [Tasting the] Tokay Essence From the Bretzenheim cellar, mentioned above: I treated myself to an expensive bottle at one of Christie's sales and my wife and I sat up in bed, glasses in hand, on 31 December 1972 to see in the New Year. Its colour was old amber, murky, and not very bright, due to the slow-to-settle sediment which can be heavy in old Tokay (which is why it should always be stored upright). Its fragrance and flavour were out of this world, 'ambrosial nectar' I gushingly wrote, 'intensely rich, piquant, reminiscent of crushed raisins, powerful and lingering; on the palate, sweet, indescribably luscious, concentrated, with wonderful binding acidity, long tenacious flavour.' It is the only wine I have ever tasted which did not have a 'finish.' It just went on, and on. Tasted 1972-73 ****** (6 stars).
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