STRAUSS & CO Fine Wine Auction partners – expert sommelier Higgo Jacobs, and director of Wine Cellar fine wine merchants, Roland Peens – give us their pick of the crop for the live online auction on May 10, 2020. Pre-bid or bid on the day on a carefully curated selection of 115 lots from 53 producers, including a fine mix of mature wines and highly sought-after collectables, with secure delivery once permitted by law.
The auction has been changed to a live virtual auction format, replicating a saleroom scenario, with an auctioneer conducting the sale live, in isolation. It will be live streamed to the audience who will be able to bid online from the comfort of their homes, in real time, lot by lot, as the auction happens. Here are just some of the lots to look out for:
Haut Brion 1989 – Lot 58 R50-55k (3 bottles)
“Undeniably one of the greatest wines made in Bordeaux in the last 25 years is the 1989 Haut Brion,” wrote Robert Parker in 2005 and this special wine continues to receive praise. A recent tasting by Neal Martin called it “awe-inspiring…as profound as it has ever been. Scents of black olives intermingle with graphite, clove and cherry liqueur, underneath subtle gravel…with layers of pure dark berry fruit, black olive, cloves and crushed violets. It certainly is complex. Having been lucky enough to taste the wine on a few occasions, it certainly deserves the 100 points! The 1989 Haut Brion is a hedonist’s delight as well as great investment.”
Kanonkop Paul Sauer 2015 – Lot 110 and 111 – R10-12k (6 bottles)
A defining moment of the modern South African industry was the release of the 2018 Tim Atkin report where he rated the Paul Sauer 2015 the perfect score. This was the first 100 pointer by a major international wine critic for a young South African wine. It jolted the Paul Sauer into a new level of demand and sold out immediately. Today the Paul Sauer is arguably South Africa’s first growth and expect the 2015 to be high in demand. “One of the greatest young wines I have ever tasted,” wrote Tim Atkin, a Master of Wine.
Morgenster 2000 – Lot 12 and 13 – R10-12k (6 bottles)
The proof, as they say, is in the tasting. Last year we were lucky to drink the maiden 2000 alongside the legendary Cheval Blanc 1998 at Morgenster estate. The Cheval Blanc received the perfect 100 points score from the Wine Advocate and sells for up to R20 000 per bottle. Which was better? Well, on the day the Cabernet Franc-led Morgenster offered more depth, complexity and poise. It was the better wine. Much like a right-bank Bordeaux, it offers fine red fruits, florals and meaty complexity. Luxurious and oh-so satisfying. Morgenster is in Stellenbosch, very close to false bay on the Schapenberg hills, and has produced magical wines over the years.
Pre-sale bids are highly recommended and bidding on Straussart.co.za is now open. Place your pre-sale bid now until 9am on May 10. If you are unable to place a pre-sale bid you can follow the live virtual online auction and place your bid live online on the day.
