Accompanied by a bottle of Hine Grande Champagne from 1904, the two bottles are estimated to sell for £400 – 500.
Bonhams says a parcel of 1952 vintage was set aside in the producer’s personal reserves to commemorate the accession to the throne of Queen Elizabeth II. In 1977 a small quantity was specially bottled and presented to the Queen for her Silver Jubilee. The rest was not bottled until 1987.
The Grande Champagne 1952 is described as flowery and slightly spicy on the nose, with a nutty background, a sign of slow maturation in small oak casks kept in cool, damp cellars. On the palate it is fresh and mellow with a long finish.
There will be a strong selection of Cognac in the sale with other lots including an engraved crystal decanter containing Pierre Frapin Cuvée 1888 Grand Cru Cognac. Adorned with a spiral of 24 carat gold and accompanied by a gold-plated replica fob watch, the bottle is estimated at £2,500 – 3,000.
Other Cognac includes a bottle of Château Paulet 100 Year Grande Fine Champagne Cognac (estimate £600-700), a bottle of J. Calvet & Co Grande Champagne Cognac 1898 (estimate £400-500) and a bottle of Classique de Martell Cognac in a Baccarat decanter and presentation box (estimate £400-500).
The sale also features a good selection of Bordeaux and Romanée-Conti from a London collector. The top lot in the sale is a dozen bottles of Romanée-Conti 1988 estimated at £70,000 – £90,000. Another three bottles of Romanée-Conti 1990 are estimated at £22,000 – £28,000 and a dozen bottles of Pétrus 1985 are estimated at £9,000 – £12,000. Other cellars have produced Lafite and other leading clarets from the renowned vintages of 1947, 1961 and 1982.
A section of privately-sourced Burgundies follows, while Italian wines are represented by a collection from Milan including top wines from Speri, Gaja and Biondi-Santi.
