Depending on where you are in the world, 1952 was a probably one of the more important years in modern history – the year of accession to the throne for the young Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain.
Hine Cognac set aside a reserve of Cognac specifically to commemorate the event. In 1977 a small amount was bottled and presented to Her Majesty to celebrate her Silver Jubilee. A decade later, in 1987, the rest was bottled.
In February of this year (2013), one of these very bottles (along with another bottle of Hine Grande Champagne 1904 Cognac) was offered for sale at the Bonham’s Fine & Rare Wines Sale, at New Bond Street, London, England. The bottles had a pre-auction estimate of £400 – £500 sterling.
The International Director of Bonham’s wine department has said that before the sale that they’d been a huge amount of interest in the bottle destined for the queen. And at auction the lot actually sold for £920 sterling.
It’s said that the Cognac, from the premier cru of Grande Champagne, was slowly matured, and has a nose that’s slightly flowery and spicy, with a nutty background. It’s also meant to be fresh and mellow on the palate, with a long finish. We’ll be betting that this bottle never gets tasted though, as for a collector it’s far more important to own this piece of history, rather than taste the contents.
And this wasn’t the only Cognac that went ‘under the hammer’ at the Bonham’s sale. A bottle of Classique de Martell in a Baccarat decanter and presentation box (with an estimate of £400 – £500) sold for £552.
A Chateau Paulet 100 Year Grande Fine Champagne Cognac (estimate of £600 – £700) sold for £690.
A bottle of J. Calvet & Co Grande Champagne 1898 Cognac (estimate of £400 – £500) smashed this pre-auction prediction, selling for £1,092.
Sources: Bonhams.com
Related products
Get articles like these and more:
Subscribe to our mailing list
