ATTENTION COLLECTORS: THE FINE WINES AUCTION RETURNS TO FLORENCE ON OCTOBER 19TH. ORGANIZED BY AUCTION HOUSE PANDOLFINI, TOGETHER WITH THE ESPRESSO GUIDE AND PITTI IMMAGINE. A TOTAL OF 130 ITALIAN AND FRENCH LOTS

130 lots, equally subdivided between Italian and French wines, are set to be the protagonists of the third edition of the Fine and Collector Wines Auction in Florence, organized by Pandolfini, in collaboration with the Espresso Guide and Pitti Immagine. On October 19th, within the splendid surroundings of the Stazione Leopolda, and in concomitance with the presentation of the 2007 edition of the Espresso wine guide, an array of wines of great value will also be auctioned off.
There will be, for example, the three lots that will be put up for charity by the Marchesi Antinori, who have created a case in larch wood with six bottles of multi-prized Solaia 1990, 1994, and 1999, created exclusively for this auction; another larch case containing twelve bottles of Tignanello 1990-93-94-97-99 and 2001; as well as a lot made up of four Magnums of 1997 Solaia, Tignanello, Brunello di Montalcino Pian delle Vigne Guado al Tasso.
The earnings from these sales will be donated by the Antinori to the Virginia Iorga Onlus association to help inaugurate its “Solidarity Wine” project. The association has undertaken initiatives like that of aiding a school in Brazil, acquiring an ambulance equipped with the necessities to transport patients with severe bone diseases, support for projects developing new therapies in the oncology field, as well as for home care assistance. Among the Tuscan wines that will be on the auctioning block, a number of top names like Sassicaia, Solaia, Tignanello, Castello di Ama, Sodi di San Niccolò, Guado al Tasso, Ornellaia, just to name a few. There are several special Sassicaia bottles, like the 1985 which is considered the annus mirabilis for this wine and which will go for a starting price of 550 euros, as well as the 1990, also considered an extraordinary year and which will be presented in a Magnum version for 450 euros.
There are other impressive lots, like that of the Magnum of Masseto 1999, starting at 280 euros, and a Redigaffi Tua Rita 2001, going for 400 euros, and which the Espresso Guide has awarded with its maximum vote of 5 bottles. There is also a Magnum Solaia Antinori 1997, which will go for about 450/500 euros, and which Wine Spectator and Robert Parker have assigned 98 and 96 points, respectively. And the critically acclaimed Vigna d'Alceo Castello dei Rampolla 2000 and 2001 will also be present on the auctioning block with six bottles, three for each year, going for 500 euros. The 2001, in fact, has also been awarded the coveted 5 bottle vote by the Espresso Guide, while Robert Parker awarded it 95 points, and awarded the 2000 with an even higher score of 98 points. There is also a large selection of Piedmont region wines, among which a noteworthy lot of three bottles of Barolo Riserva Rocche di Falletto red label B. Giacosa 2000, for an estimated 350/450 euros. This wine has also received the highest score from Espresso, as well as from Wine Spectator which gave it 100 points, and 99 points from Robert Parker.
And here are some of the French wines: at the top of the auction list are some of the most famous wines from the Bourgogne region, like the twelve bottle case of Domaine de la Romanée Conti 2003, going for 10,000/12,000 euros, and which is still not available on the market. Among these twelve bottles are the top producers from the region, like the Romaneè Conti, a very rare wine that reaches head spinning prices on the international market, and absolutely the highest in the wine sector. Among the Bourgogne whites there are some splendid lots like three bottles of Meursault "Perrières" Premier Cru Coche Dury 2000, going for 1,100/1,200 euros, and considered some of the most sought after wine of its kind on an international level, and which Parker has given 95/97 points. As for the Bordeaux, among the Premier Cru are some more recent vintages like the lot of two bottles of Château Cheval Blanc 2000, going for an estimated 1,050/1,100 euros, and which Wine Spectator has assigned 93 points and Parker 98. A double top score (100 points) has also been given to Château Lafite Rothschild 2000, which will be present at the auction in a sumptuous Magnum version, for 850/900 euros.
Among the older vintages there is the pearl that collectors will be vying for, the Mouton Rotschild 1946, illustrated by Jean Hugo, and going for the meager price of just 1,000 euros, while on international markets it fetches even up to 4,000 euros. And there is also the three bottle lot of, Château Mouton Rothschild 1951, 1955, 1957, for 500/600 euros, whose labels were designed, respectively, by artists Marcel Vertès, George Braque and André Masson. Even what is considered Bordeaux’s most exceptional year, 1961, will be represented at the auction with the lot of Premiers Cru: Château Latour, Château Mouton Rothschild, Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Haut-Brion e Château Margaux , 6 bottles for 2.100/2.200 euros.