(ROB) This 200-Year-Old Wine Was Bottled for Napoleon Bonaparte. It Just Sold for $30,000.

[AKR]

This 200-Year-Old Wine Was Bottled for Napoleon Bonaparte. It Just Sold for $30,000.
2021-05-29 17:05:56.130 GMT

(Robb Report)

Grande Constance 1821

Napoleon Bonaparte once said, “Wine is inspiring and adds greatly to the joy
of living.” Unfortunately, the diminutive French emperor and general never got
to relish one of his reds that has just sold for a hefty sum at auction.

The single bottle of Grand Constance 1821 hammered for $30,000 last Saturday
at the Cape Fine & Rare Wine Auction (CFRWA). Billed as a “true unicorn wine,”
it’s believed to be one of only 12 remaining in the world. It sparked a fierce
bidding war between collectors before it was eventually snapped up by a
UK-based oenophile.

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The 200-year-old wine in question had been reserved for the exclusive
enjoyment of Bonaparte. It was slated to arrive at the island of St. Helena in
late 1821. The conquerer, who had been living there in exile, died a little
earlier that year and hence never got to taste it. According to the CFRWA, the
emperor’s last request was a glass of his beloved Vin de Constance.

“As Napoleon breathed his last on St Helena in 1821, the grapes for his
favorite wine were just ripening on the vine,” Christie’s auctioneer, Charlie
Foley, said in a statement.

The sweet South African wine is a blend of red Muscadel and Pontac. It comes
to market exactly two centuries after the grapes for the vintage were
harvested from the vineyards of Groot Constantia near Cape Town. Despite its
age, the wine is still plenty quaffable. It was re-corked in 2019 to prolong
the wine’s already venerable lifespan and ensure that its flavor remains
intact.

Groot Constantia first laid roots in 1685 and quickly gained a loyal following
among the upper crust. By 1821, Constantia wine was arguably at the height of
its fame and favored by George Washington, King George III, Marie Antoinette
and Frederick the Great.

The 1821 that went under the gavel on May 22 was part of a lot auctioned in
London in the early 1980s. Two other bottles from this lot were also re-corked
in 2019, which means collectors may have another chance to enjoy what
Bonaparte couldn’t.

[Claret]

I could be wrong, but IIRC Francois raved about a 19th century Constance as one of his best wines ever.

[AKR]

I was just thinking how Napoleon got a dessert named after him, Wellington got a main course with his name, but no one remembers Blucher.

Except for me, with a GSD carrying the Prussian marshall's name. Everyone forgets how Wellington would have been toast if it wasn't for the cavalry (led by Blucher) showing up to save the day.

[JimHow]

The Joshua Chamberlain of Waterloo?

[DavidG]

Arv: I have a couple pair of bluchers from Allen Edmonds, but they're not edible. I'm stymied by GSD.
German Shepherd Dog?
Graduate School of Design?
Glycogen Storage Disease?
Go Skateboarding Day?
Get Stupid Drunk?

Jim, have you visited Gettysburg? Haunting and profound.

[AKR]

[DavidG]

Beautiful dog Arv.

[JimHow]

Jim, have you visited Gettysburg? Haunting and profound.

I have not, David, it has long been on my list.