The Extraordinary Wine Cellar of Dr Allard Botenga | Christie's inc
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- A remarkable journey into the world of fine wines through the cellar of Dr Allard Botenga, who reveals the secrets and stories of his collection (including the bottle he will open to celebrate his 90th birthday).
Spanning decades and continents, the collection is a testament to the passion and expertise of a true wine connoisseur. Dr Botenga’s cellar features meticulously chosen 20th century classics like Lafite-Rothschild 1945, Latour verticals dating back to the 1930s, La Mission Haut-Brion 1949, Vieux-Château-Certan 1971, La Tâche 1978, Henri Jayer, Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux 1980 and many more. Additionally, the collection boasts a wonderful collection of half bottles of some of the greatest Bordeaux of the 20th century.
Dr A. Botenga Cellar, Six Decades of Collecting Part I will go under the hammer in Hong Kong on 24 November, followed by Part II in London on 1 December.
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at his age I'd be blasting a bottle a day and enjoy the fruits of my labor. Maybe even two bottles lol
I love the humbleness of the cellar.
believe me "humble" is not a word that is often used to describe him. "Particular" is used more often.
Thanks for the tour, the education, and a glimpse into a life well- lived.
If I was you age I would start drinking all the collection. Enjoy it!
What’re you trying to say?
What an amazing cellar. It’s worth millions yet it maintains its character.
Fantastic... so low keyed.. fabulous wines indeed !!!
Sheer heaven. What a collection. Cheers🍷🥂
As teenagers, my parents moved us out to a subdivision in the woods 12 miles outside of a small town. It was very boring, so my dad bought a 3 wheeler off a guy for my brother and I to ride around. We found there was more than a few old, abandoned properties scattered around in the woods. We would ride around looking for them to explore. We found a little cabin pretty far out that was like a time capsule from the 1980's. You could tell the owners were elderly from some of the things we found in there. There was a wine rack in the kitchen with 3 bottles of unopened wine in it. This was a score for us because we were bored and wanted to do some partying. We took them and drank them over the next few days in a travel trailer we hung out in on our property. We put the empty bottles on a shelf as a souvenir. Our mom sees them one day, and we told her we found them empty on an old property. She says it's too bad they were empty or they would be worth some money. We asked why, and she points to the 1940 date on the label of every bottle and says they're old, so their worth money. We thought that was the date the wine company was established, which is what we told her. She said it was the date the wine was made. Just for fun, she looked it up, and every bottle was worth between $800-$1300 full. She said it must have been a wine collector's cabin. She goes back in the house, and my brother and I looked at each other, shaking our heads in disbelief.
We still talk about that.
First part of his collection just has been sold for more than $5m in Hong Kong
Mixed with coca cola....
Wow, what a collection... I wish I could taste one of those bottles.
Ik kan de kurken in die flessen niet eens betalen, maar wat een genot om naar te kijken! Ook een erg innemende man. Moet toch fantastisch zijn om daar tussen die rekken gewoon een stukje geschiedenis open te maken.
Wonderful! Passionate man and great wines...funny note, at 2min37sec I see two bottles of Château de la Commanderie, Lalande Pomerol 1967. This wine is often dismissed as wine for wine connoisseurs who don't actually know anything about wine. In our parts, a common wine in ordinary restaurants or bistros. Many regard the wine as a Pomerol since it has the word Pomerol on it but it remains a Lalande Pomerol that is beautifully made in its own style and often underappreciated. Not a biggie but value for money if the wine list is limited. I do wonder now if these '67s still age nicely given their age. Anyone experience with this wine around that age as it is often said that this Commanderie is not a storage wine?
What a collection!
Good for him!!! ❤❤❤
I would do the same because there are some fantastic du papes, however I’m an alcoholic so I have a watch collection instead.
아주 맛있는 와인인것 갇습니다~~😊😊😊
I wish I was locked in that cellar!
All I need is one day and one Durand. Please.
does wine really last that long?
Depends on quality and how it has been stored. There are some bottles over a century old that apparently still taste pretty good.
Turns to vinegar after a year or two but some people like it
I wonder if this cellar is climatic controlled😳..or is he simply storing the wine in the basement of his house?
Looks as if it’s a cellar under his house and I doubt temp controlled. My house was built with a coal cellar which I’ve used for storing wine for over forty years. It’s fairly damp but not temperature controlled and varies between about 10 and 15 degrees from winter to summer - but no rapid fluctuations. Plenty of bottles have been there for 30+ years and all have aged well with good levels and few disappointments on popping the corks. You don’t need fancy systems if you’re lucky enough to have a decent cellar.
Au natural.. If you go to some of the better wineries in Europe, I have yet to see one with man made temperature controls... It's all controlled by the soil.
loooooooooool
To each his own. You call it collecting, but I call it hoarding at these quantities for those lengths of time. The time to "drink and be merry" is now. Tomorrow is not promised.
Could you please define the word "collect", thanks.
@Ccastine9 Hoarding is easy: more wine than you could drink in several lifetimes. This isn't collecting.
This attitude is opposed not just to civilization but to life itself. After all, why should I sow today what I must wait till tomorrow to reap?
The uncertainty of the days to come is a risk one must be willing to take. Otherwise, what sense is there in ever investing in one's future? Much less one's posterity? But such preparations are, of course, the foundation and meaning of our existence.
Now I'm thirsty.
He seems sophisticated, but imagine the regret of not splurging on fresh wine. No more of that old stuff. Wine from this year!
No more of the old stuff, bring us some fresh wine!
I suspect that most of those bottles are way past their prime, and should have been consumed a long time ago.
Very old rare find wines are rarely about drinking at peak maturity, however many of those bottles from the 40-60’s will still be fantastic which is a testament to their quality
Your suspicions would be incorrect.
You are wrong, especially regarding the French first growths.
You would be wrong
@@danielplainview4778i think the author of the comment is refering to the best drinking window. of course the wines are stil excellent, but they for sure passed their peak.
My boy better get to drinking...