Ariane Brissart is the Director of the wine department at French auction house Tajan. We recently sat down with her to hear more about the top-tier wine and champagne going under the hammer this holiday season.
Barnebys: Wines have been on the register of French auction houses for some fifty years. What is Tajan's legitimacy in this field?
Ariane Brissart: The first wine sale in France was held in 1973 by Tajan, under the gavel of Maître Ader. It was organised around the theme ‘We must save Venice’, as the Italian city had been hit by a devastating flood. After this initial event, the sales were recurrent, but held within the framework of estate inventories. In 1997, Jacques Tajan organised the exceptional Maxim's sale in Paris. It was so successful that he decided to create a dedicated ‘Wines and Spirits’ department at Tajan, based on the Anglo-Saxon model. Today, Tajan is one of the top five French auction houses for fine wines.
What are some of the lots to look out for in your 10-11 December sale?
This sale is exceptional, both in terms of the number of bottles and the quality. We have the rare opportunity to offer 8,000 bottles from a single collector, among others. All regions are represented, and champagne has the lion's share with 2,000 bottles. This makes this sale one of the most important of the house.
It’s worth mentioning the extraordinary double magnum of Pétrus 1995, the collection of Mouton Rothschild including 450 bottles of very rare formats (bottles, magnum and imperial). This sale offers collectors the rare opportunity to acquire nuggets that cannot be found off the shelf. In addition, lots 981 to 1002 will be sold for the benefit of the students in the Master’s degree programme of Wine and Spirits Law at Reims University.
What about the spirits presented in this sale?
Many nuggets will be available. Seasoned collectors will have the opportunity to buy Macallan 1968 (lots 700A, 700B and 700C) and a Chapoulié 1893 Armagnac pot (lot 690). Everyone can find their lot: the 703 one, estimated at €80-100, including a Vieux Calvados and three Vieilles Bénédictines, would make a wonderful gift for the holidays.
What would you recommend to collectors and wine lovers as the holiday season approaches?
Champagne is particularly suited to the holiday season, to be enjoyed with a dish during New Year's Eve, for example, in the same way as a wine. We propose a magnificent selection of Champagne Krug, Champagne Ruinart and its Dom Ruinart 1993, 1996, 2002, 2004, 1990, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2004, Laurent Perrier and its cuvée Grand siècle 1985, 1990, the marvelous Cuvée Winston Churchill of the Pol Roger house in 1996, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2008 will also be present, Gosset and its Cuvée Celebris in 2002, Jacquesson and also Philipponnat and its emblematic Clos des Goisses 1982, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2000, closing with an impressive selection of Champagne Salon 1976 in magnum.
What is Tajan's modus operandi in terms of bottle conservation and traceability?
The procedure is simple and rigorous: clients call us for inventories, and we go on site to assess the storage and preservation conditions of the bottles. Temperature, hygrometry and traceability of the bottles are fundamental elements for us, and our expertise is fully applied from these first parameters. All the bottles pass through our hands: we observe them carefully before putting them in boxes.
What conservation advice would you give to buyers who do not (yet) have a cellar?
If the need is for a storage place for a number of bottles not exceeding 200, the best option is to acquire a Eurocave, so that the amateur can store their bottles at home. There are also dedicated places that offer storage space to private individuals: the Crayères de Montquartiers, and also Le Chemin des Vignes, La Cave or, more unexpectedly, the Crédit Municipal. In addition, in some regions – such as Touraine – tufa cellars are available for sale, at prices ranging from €5,000 to €10,000.
