News-Antique.com - Oct 23,2012 - BOSTON, Mass. – October 23, 2012 – Skinner, Inc. will hold a live auction of Fine Wines on October 30th in its Boston gallery. Following the event, a second offering of lots will be auctioned on October 31st through November 8th exclusively online with Skinner’s timed auction platform. In partnership with Lower Falls Wine Company of Newton, MA, the Skinner October sale of Fine Wines offers something for everyone, from wines for current consumption through investment grade bottles, and now, for the first time, Skinner will present fine ales at auction.
Craft Beer
The October sale will give Skinner the distinction of being the first full-service, commercial auction house to offer beer at auction. The inaugural brew is Samuel Adams Utopias 2007. Two bottles will be offered in the live auction (lot 246A, estimated between $350 and $550), and a single bottle will be offered online (lot 540, $175 to $275). Jim Koch of Samuel Adams introduced Utopias in 2002. At the time, it was the strongest beer in the world at a previously-unheard-of 24% alcohol by volume. This was achieved through fermentation using a blend of Champagne yeast and a proprietary yeast strain – without the use of freeze-distilling. Released on an extremely limited basis approximately every two years, each batch takes on the distinct character of the casks in which it is aged. The 2007 batch, offered in the Skinner auction, is the highest-alcohol batch to date, at 27%. The 2007 Samuel Adams Utopias is an ale to be sipped, considered, discussed and shared rather than tipped back without thought.
Bordeaux, Rhone and Burgundy
A broad selection of wines from Bordeaux highlight the October sale, including a custom case of 1996 Bordeaux (lot 69, $8,000 to $12,000) purchased upon release and subsequently stored in professional, climate-controlled storage. This case contains two bottles each from six top Bordeaux chateaux. A 1988 Le Pin, an incredibly rare garagiste red Bordeaux from Pomerol (lot 278, $800 to $1,200), will also be offered.
An impressive selection of young red burgundy from top producers, including Domaine de la Romanee Conti, Bernard Dugat-Py, Comtes Lafon, and Comte Georges de Vogue will be featured. An outstanding example is a Domaine de la Romanee Conti Assortment 2001 (lot 123, $20,000 to $25,000), the last year to include the elusive Romanee-Conti. This collection is representative of several of the vineyards and wines that the Domaine produce. These modern vintages, revered the world over, will make a treasured addition to any cellar.
From separate temperature controlled cellars come a double magnum of the near-perfect Clos des Papes Chateauneuf du Pape 2007 (lot 79, $450 to $600) and ten bottles of 1985 Joseph Drouhin Musigny (lot 260, $7,000 to $10,000). These wines represent outstanding examples from exceptional vintages of the Southern Rhone and Burgundy, respectively.
Two bottles of 1974 Heitz Martha’s Vineyard (lot 302, $1,200 to $1,800) are up for bid. Often cited as one of the best American wines, the 1974 Heitz Martha’s Vineyard possesses nothing less than
