One of the world’s largest auctioneers, Bonhams will held its Fine & Rare wines sale where can be found wide range of rare Cognac, some of which are 200 year-old bottles. The highlight of upcoming auction will be a rare bottle of limited edition Remy Martin Black Pearl Cognac, with an estimated price of £5,000 – £7,000 ($8,000-$11,000).
Black crystal decanter that has a silvery gleam and is accompanied by a stopper with a fleur-de-lys design, is filled with the ‘Louis XIII de Remy Martin’ Cognac, which is actually a blend of 1200 eaux de vie, between 40 and 100 years old and is aged in ancient oak barrels. It is produced from grapes grown in the Grande Champagne area, at the heart of the Cognac region. Its rarity is attributed to the fact that only 800 bottles of Black Pearl are released each year and very few come onto the open market.
Richard Harvey, international director of Bonhams wine department said: “Black Pearl is a highly sought after de-luxe Cognac and it is incredibly rare to see something like this come up at auction.”
The story about this bottle of Cognac says it was bought by an experienced South African bar manager, who trained as a sommelier, when he spotted it in the on-board shop of a luxury cruise liner. After several years travelling the world on board, the bottle ended up in the hand of clear-sighted manager who sent it from Greece to South Africa for safe-keeping.
Other rare Cognac in the same sale includes two bottles that are over 200 years old. A bottle of Pierre Ferrand Cognac, Reserve Marie Domain from 1806 is estimated to achieve £1,800-£2,200 ($2,800-$3,500), and a bottle of Napoleon Grande Fine Champagne Cognac is estimated at £1,000-£1,500 ($1,600-$2,400).
