While celebrity burglaries have been increasing for several months, obtaining precise information on the treasures hidden in the cellars of the wealthiest amateurs will not have been an easy task, and some will have exchanged their confessions on the condition of complete anonymity. . Trained late or from adolescence, obsessive about a region, a winemaker or insatiably curious, we can easily imagine the wealthy amateur sitting on cases of Petrus, Yquem and Romanée-Conti, although each of them seems to make a point of cultivating some fantasy. Like Mr. D., former CEO of a large listed group, who did not wish his identity to be revealed. Despite a schedule that takes him to travel the world continuously,
“when I'm at home,
there's not a day without me going down to the cellar
,” he says enthusiastically. A “cellar” fitted out with even more care than that of the great Parisian wine merchants, designed by the architect behind the design of that of… Alain Ducasse.
12,000 bottles under a parking lot in the city center
Placed under high protection, the 1,200 bottles it houses demonstrate an open-mindedness that is rather rare among great amateurs: “
It’s a passion that doesn’t come from my family. My grandfather drank Préfontaine!
recognizes Mr. D., laughing.
By becoming president of an international group, I had enough means to afford great wines, and I opened my cellar 360° to all countries and grape varieties, even if I remain a great fan of
Rhône Valley
.
Proof of this is an extremely rare Hermitage La Chapelle by Paul Jaboulet Ainé 1961 “
my greatest folly, because it is my year of birth
”, but also annual allocations from Château Rayas “
which resisted my advances for five years
”, from Romanée-Conti, from Liger-Bélair, from Château Beaucastel “
including the cuvée Hommage à Jacques Perrin, which I systematically buy as soon as I happen to open one
”, great Bordeaux classified growths, including Petrus “
but that don't bother me, I prefer American
cabernet sauvignons
such as Screaming Eagle
” – for the modest sum of 2500 dollars a bottle, all the same. Without forgetting the greatest champagnes: old vintages of Krug and Dom Pérignon, “
which affect me less than Egly-Ouriet or
Sélosse
, that said, and I discovered the Christophe Mignon estate some time ago, at Excellent value
". Organized and methodical, he does not, however, refrain from a few follies, and obtains his supplies directly from British sales sites: “
The English tire me in business, but I adore them when it comes to wines!
» he affirms. Insured to the tune of one million euros, his cellar receives several hundred bottles each year, which he likes to share: “
For my birthday, I offered my guests a very large part of my 1961 collection . It was a very nice evening
.”
A generosity that we also find among the Saadé brothers, Karim and Sandro, in Beirut, who agreed to testify openly:
“In Lebanon, the security of a cellar is no longer really the first issue
,” jokes Karim. Started in the 1980s by their parents, their cellar nevertheless appears today as one of the most desirable private collections in the world, with no less than 12,000 bottles in total, part of which is stored in a room located under a parking lot. … in the city center: “
Our father started with
Bordeaux
, like many collectors, and we have maintained his allocations since 1985 without interruption in order to be able to do large verticals
,” underlines Sandro.
Petrus,
Mouton-Rothschild
,
Latour
, etc. But prices increased a lot, and we left very early in the direction of the Rhône valley.
My brother and I do not systematically bet on speculative wines, but above all on beautiful estates. Just like art lovers, our tastes evolve, and we have recently lowered our
Burgundian allocations
and seriously cut back on our en primeur purchases,”
he continues. Their most precious bottle? “
A Château d’Yquem 1908. But we will probably never dare to open it, so what’s the point?”
The question is indeed worth asking.