Friday, June 18, 2021

Ripples..... Château Lafite Rothschild 1959 - Jeroboam (5L)


Ripples..... Château Lafite Rothschild 1959 Jeroboam (5L) by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021
Ripples..... Château Lafite Rothschild 1959 Jeroboam (5L)
by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021


Ripples...




This could be the title of one of my new music tracks (I'm working on), and this first picture (above) could be the perfect cover for this track... 



Ripples..... Château Lafite Rothschild 1959 Jeroboam (5L) by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021
Ripples..... Château Lafite Rothschild 1959 Jeroboam (5L)
by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021



But no, not just yet... 



Ripples..... Château Lafite Rothschild 1959 Jeroboam (5L) by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021
Ripples..... Château Lafite Rothschild 1959 Jeroboam (5L)
by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021



For now, these ripples are pieces of history, the sign of a time that has been and has passed, the result of an artisanal craft that is no longer in favour but still has its adepts and defenders: hand-blown glass. 



Ripples..... Château Lafite Rothschild 1959 Jeroboam (5L) by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021
Ripples..... Château Lafite Rothschild 1959 Jeroboam (5L)
by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021



Yes, these are the ripples on the external surface of an old and extremely rare bottle of wine: Château Lafite Rothschild 1959 (again), but, "Jeroboam" this time (5L). An old lady (as I like to call these old and rare bottles of wine) in need of TLC. Probably one of the last remaining specimen of her kind.   




Ripples..... Château Lafite Rothschild 1959 Jeroboam (5L) by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021
Ripples..... Château Lafite Rothschild 1959 Jeroboam (5L)
by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021



These ripples were created by the defaults, bubbles and asperities resulting from the hand-blown glass process, giving the surface of this particular bottle a certain roughness and unevenness, taking a liquid appearance when on a certain angle under the light. 

Mesmerizing, isn't it? 

Personally, I could look at these ripples for a long while and not get tired of their sight. 



Ripples..... Château Lafite Rothschild 1959 Jeroboam (5L) by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021
Ripples..... Château Lafite Rothschild 1959 Jeroboam (5L)
by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021



I love taking care of these old and rare ladies. I always feel humbled and privileged in their presence. They are rare gems and treasures to be protected and preserved, and it is my role and duty to do so. Very lucky to be able to work and have access to such great bottles on a daily basis. Real pieces of history. 

A few days ago was that time of the month again, my visit to the private cellar full of rare and fine old ladies. Coming in all shapes and sizes, like this sleeping beauty, a Jeroboam of Lafite 1959 with its original label and capsule, good level and plenty of stories to tell just by looking at its ripples.

Cheers! Santé!

Stay safe and take good care of yourself, family and friends, and give each other some love, 'cause that's all we got!

Dom

LeDomduVin (aka Dominique Noel)





PS: If interested to listen to my music, you can find some of my music tracks under my other alias "Domelgabor" on YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Music and most of the top music platforms under "Domelgabor" or "Domelgabor Topic" (and even on Instagram and Facebook at @domelgabor and @domelgabor_music)


Also, some people asked me why I use this filter/color for most of my wine pictures. To answer I will say that I use this filter/color as: 
  • It makes the picture look nicer and smoother, 
  • It also enhances the light and harmonizes the colors, (which can be dull or dark and/or yellow when shooting in a cellar). 
  • This particular filter/color is also my personalized touch and it gives a sepia-like vintage aspect that I love.
  • And, to a certain extent, it also protects my pictures from anyone who might intend to use them or do copies, and from counterfeiters to use them as references for the bottle and label colors and fonts and other details.

Dom

@chateaulafiterothschild #chateaulafiterothschild #pauillac #bordeaux #bordeauxclassic #legendarywines #grandcruclasse #jeroboam #france #wine #vin #vino #wein #oldandrareladies #oldandrarevintages #oldandrarebottles #olandrarewines #lesphotosadom #ledomduvin @ledomduvin ©LeDomduVin 2021



All rights reserved ©LeDomduVin 2021 on all the content of this post above, including but not limited to: pictures, photos, drawings, illustrations, memes, texts, quotes, wines, wine tasting notes, wine descriptions, tables, graphs, etc... 

Château Lafite 1959 - Double Magnum (3L)


Château Lafite 1959 (3L) by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021
Château Lafite 1959 (3L)
by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021



Château Lafite 1959 (3L) 



A few days ago was that time of the month again, my visit to the private cellar full of old and rare and fine ladies. Coming in all shapes and sizes, like this sleeping beauty, a double magnum of Lafite 1959 with pristine label and capsule, and high level (reconditioned at the Château, in the late 90s or early 2000s, don't remember exactly). 

A rare (and difficult to find) large format bottle commanding an estimated lowest price at around HKD 155,000 (USD 20,000 or Euros 16,500), knowing that the only and highest price on Wine-Searcher is around HKD 450,000 (roughly USD 58,000 or Euro 48,000)... 



Château Lafite 1959 (3L) by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021
Château Lafite 1959 (3L)
by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021


At that price, no wonder why Lafite is one of the most coveted wines in the world by counterfeiters. 

A beautiful bottle in any case and surely one of the last remaining specimens of her kind.  

Cheers! Santé!

LeDomduVin (aka Dominique Noel)



@chateaulafiterothschild #chateaulafiterothschild #pauillac #bordeaux #bordeauxclassic #legendarywines #grandcruclasse #france #wine #vin #vino #wein #oldandrareladies #oldandrarevintages #oldandrarebottles #olandrarewines #lesphotosadom #ledomduvin @ledomduvin ©LeDomduVin 2021




All rights reserved ©LeDomduVin 2021 on all the content of this post above, including but not limited to: pictures, photos, drawings, illustrations, memes, texts, quotes, wines, wine tasting notes, wine descriptions, tables, graphs, etc... 

Cupid sitting on a roof...

Cupid sitting on a roof - artist unknown - original picture modified and enhanced by @domelgabor
Cupid sitting on a roof - artist unknown -
Original picture modified and enhanced by @domelgabor 2021



Cupid sitting on a roof...


Don't ask me why, but I love this picture, and Cupid is all about love.

Cupid sitting on a roof carries the message that love is never too far, for anyone who is willing to see it and nurture it, whatever that love can be. 

Love for your girlfriend or boyfriend. Love for your partner or spouse. Love for your children and family. Love for your pets and animals. Love for the sun rising in the morning and the moon enlightening the night. Love for the oceans and seas. Love for the mountains and valleys. Love for people. Love for nature. Love for food and wine. Love for music and arts and cultures and diversity. Love for...

There are so many kinds of love, it would be difficult to list them all. Let's just say that love is all around and life is all about love. 

So give each other love, 'cause that's all we got! 

Dom

Domelgabor for LeDomduVin 2021 

Photo credit: author unknown (found on the internet, no source or name), but whoever that may be, thank you for it. Original picture modified and enhanced by @domelgabor (my other alias)

#cupid #cupidonaroof #love #loveisnevertoofar #loveisallaround #messageoflove #lesselectionsadom 
#domelgabor @domelgabor ©Domelgabor #ledomduvin @ledomduvin ©LeDomduVin 2021



Unless stated otherwise, all rights reserved ©LeDomduVin 2021 on all the content of this post above, including but not limited to: pictures, photos, drawings, illustrations, memes, texts, quotes, wines, wine tasting notes, wine descriptions, tables, graphs, etc... 

Thursday, June 17, 2021

LeDomduVin: Discarding expensive empty bottles of wine


Discarding expensive empty bottles of wine by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021
Discarding expensive empty bottles of wine
by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021 (1)



Discarding expensive empty bottles of wine




It is that time of the month again. Every month, after doing the stocktaking and making sure that there is no discrepancies nor any variations in the stocks, I discard all the expensive empty bottles of wine. 

Discarding these expensive empty bottles is an important task, and even necessary (monthly or bimonthly), to prevent them from being found, re-used, put back and sold on the grey market by counterfeiters, con artists and other crooks.



Discarding expensive empty bottles of wine by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021 (2)
Discarding expensive empty bottles of wine
by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021 (2)



It might sound absurd, to some of you, yet, you wouldn't believe the price some counterfeiters are ready to pay for an original empty bottle, (moreover with the label intact and in good conditions), from a famous producer, especially those from the top Grand Crus Chateaux of Bordeaux and the top Domaines & Maisons de Bourgogne (Burgundy).  

In fact, the value of an empty bottle from any of the first growths (or same pedigree) of both banks in Bordeaux (especially old vintages, obviously) and top tears burgundy such as DRC, Jayer, Armand Rousseau, Leroy, Leflaive, etc... can get quite high, and even mind-boggling for the bottles that are engraved like Petrus and Haut-Brion, for example.    




Discarding expensive empty bottles of wine by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021 (3)
Discarding expensive empty bottles of wine
by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021 (3)



Consequently, the labels have to be disfigured, and the bottles, (more especially the old and rare ones and the ones that are engraved like Petrus and Haut-Brion, for example), have to be broken into pieces.

 

Discarding expensive empty bottles of wine by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021 (4)
Discarding expensive empty bottles of wine
by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021 (4)



And that's what I do for a little hour once a month. As you can see on the pictures above and below, I take a marker and "disfigure" the labels, with a rather elegantly abstract artistic touch. 😁 

I take a lot of pleasure doing it, as, as a "Wine Quality Control Director", it is my duty and responsibility to make sure that it is done, and properly done. So, I rather do it myself. 



Discarding expensive empty bottles of wine by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021 (5)
Discarding expensive empty bottles of wine
by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021 (5)



Yet, disfiguring and breaking these bottles is also heartbreaking, as I have been taking care and giving a lot of TLC to these "old ladies", (as I like to call them), for these past 9 years. I know them well. They are like my babies. 



Discarding expensive empty bottles of wine by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021 (6)
Discarding expensive empty bottles of wine
by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021 (6)



Sometimes, if possible, (as some are really hard to remove), I keep some labels for my own private collection. I use them as references to compare them with others when I do bottles inspection / authentication. 



Discarding expensive empty bottles of wine by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021 (7)
Discarding expensive empty bottles of wine
by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021 (7)



Fortunately, some labels escaped and were spared from disfigurement, too rare to be penned with my artistic touch. 😉😁👍🍷

Not all of them could be saved, though... too hard to remove from the bottle ... 😢



Discarding expensive empty bottles of wine by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021 (8)
Discarding expensive empty bottles of wine
by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021 (8)



I did 2 little videos while disfiguring the labels and breaking the bottles, I will upload them as soon as I manage to figure out how.  

This last picture shows the big rubbish bin I used, filled with a countless amount of broken expensive bottles of wine, after destroying them all one by one. 

Don't worry they didn't have time to suffer... 😁👍



Discarding expensive empty bottles of wine by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021 (9)
Discarding expensive empty bottles of wine
by and for ©LeDomduVin 2021 (9)



Descriptions of the bottles on the pictures above 


- Picture 1 - 
  • DRC Romanee-Saint-Vivant Marey-Monge 1996 (× 2)  ( @_domainedelaromaneeconti )
  • Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage La Chapelle 1990 ( @pauljabouletaine ) 
  • Château Rayas Reserve 1995 ( @chateaurayas )

- Picture 2 - 
  • Château Lafite Rothschild 1986  ( @chateaulafiterothschild )
  • Château La Mission Haut-Brion 1996  ( @chateaulamissionhautbrion )
  • Château Rayas Reserve 1995 ( @chateaurayas )
  • Château Lafleur Pomerol 1981  ( @chateau_lafleur )

- Picture 3 - 
  • Château Léoville Las Cases 1986 ( @chateauleovillelascases )
  • Château Cos d'Estournel 1986 ( @cosdestournel )
  • Château Le Bon Pasteur 1986 ( @chateaulebonpasteur )
  • Château Trotanoy 1990 ( @chateautrotanoy )

- Picture 4 - 
  • DRC La Tache 1990 & 1995 ( @_domainedelaromaneeconti )
  • Château Haut-Brion 1986 ( @chateauhautbrion_ )

- Picture 5 - 
  • Chateau Cheval Blanc 1990 ( @chateauchevalblanc_ )
  • Petrus 1985 ( @chateaupetrus ) 
  • Chateau Pape Clement 1990 ( @chateaupapeclement ) 
  • Chateau Ausone 1995  ( @chateau_ausone_officiel )

- Picture 6 - 
  • DRC La Tache 1993 ( @_domainedelaromaneeconti )
  • DRC Romanee Conti 1967  ( @_domainedelaromaneeconti )
  • Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 1961 & 1978 ( @pauljabouletaine )
  • Henry Jayer Vosne-Romanee Cros-Parantoux 1978 ( #henrijayer )

- Picture 7 - 
  • Château d'Yquem 1929  ( @yquem_official  )
  • Petrus 1961 (I have doubt on that particular label, I wonder... 🤔🤔🤔) and Petrus 1978 ( @chateaupetrus )
  • Château Mouton Rothschild 1986  ( @moutonnechange )
  • Château Latour 1959 & 1982  ( #chateaulatour  )
  • DRC Romanee Conti 1967  ( @_domainedelaromaneeconti )
  • Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1959  ( @chateaulafiterothschild )

- Picture 8 - 
  • Petrus 1961 (I have doubts on that label, I wonder 🤔🤔🤔,.. some details are different from other Petrus 61 I have seen in my 30 years career...)  ( @chateaupetrus )
  • Château d'Yquem 1929 ( @yquem_official )
  • Henri Jayer Vosne-Romanee Cros-Parantoux 1978  ( #henrijayer )
  • Château Latour 1959 & 1961 ( #chateaulatour )
  • Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 1961 & 1978  ( @pauljabouletaine )

- Picture 9 - 

A big rubbish bin filled with a countless amount of broken expensive bottles of wine, after destroying them all one by one.  


Voilà! That's all folks for today.  

Thank you for reading my post, and take good care of yourself, your family and friends, and give each other love, 'cause that's all we got! 

Cheers! Santé! 

Dom

LeDomduVin (aka Dominique Noel) 


PS: A lot of bottles were harmed in the process, and I sincerely send my deepest condolences to the Chateaux and Domaines, but it was for a good cause... please do not call the "Wine Bottle Rights Organizations" on me, I know it is cruel, but I'm only doing what's right! One day you'll understand... 😉😁 



#disfiguring #disfiguringlabels #discarding #discardingemptybottles #emptybottles #expensive #bottles #expensivewines #expensivebottles #vin #wine #vino #wein #lesphotosadom #lesvideosadom #ledomduvin @ledomduvin


All content above, (and on www.ledomduvin.com blog/website in general), including but not limited to texts, quotes, memes, pictures, photos, illustrations, drawings, graphs, tables and even some music tracks, is subject to copyright ©LeDomduVin 2021.