World's Greatest Wines to be sold as NFTs
Timed Online Auction, 19 June - 10 July 2023
World's Greatest Wines to be sold as NFTs
About this Item
Strauss & Co Château Mouton Rothschild 1945-2014 NFT
Château Mouton Rothschild is not only one of the finest Bordeaux wines, but it is also one of the world’s greatest. The First Growth from Pauillac holds an incredible track record for the most consistent and long-lived wines in all of Bordeaux. It can be argued that the modern age of Chateau Mouton Rothschild arose along with the modernization of the entire Bordeaux wine region.
Each year since 1945, the Château Mouton Rothschild label has been illustrated with an artwork by a leading painter, specially created for the vintage. Thus, the most famous names in contemporary painting have been brought together in a collection to which a new work is added each year. From one label to another, Mouton Rothschild has thus brought together some of the most celebrated artists of their day, including Miró, Chagall, Braque, Picasso, Tàpies, Francis Bacon, Dali, Balthus, Jeff Koons and even Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales. The artists have complete freedom of creation, though certain themes, such as the vine, the pleasure of drinking and the ram, the Mouton Rothschild emblem, have proved a particularly rich source of inspiration.
The Mouton Rothschild NFT is made up of 176 bottles of the much acclaimed, rare vintages 1945 through to 2014:
68 x 750ml
73 x 1500ml
33 x 3000ml
2 x 5000ml
Click here to view the NFT list for this lot.
Click HERE to see the full line-up on our NFT Website
- The wines are currently stored in the professional cellars of Wine Cellar, in Cape Town, Africa’s largest fine wine cellar. Free storage to October 2023.
- Professional world-wide shipping can also be arranged, at negligible costs considering the high value of the wines.
- Each bottle within the NFT is also minted as an NFT on the polygon blockchain. This allows for the withdrawal or trading of single bottles, or the entire NFT at any time. Strauss & Co will coordinate the ‘burning’ NFTs when stock is withdrawn.
- Insurance to be undertaken by new owner.
- All Web3 development is undertaken by partner Fanfire. Prof Gert-Jan van Rooyen is Director at Fanfire, and also an Associate Professor Extra-Ordinary in Industrial Engineering at Stellenbosch University.
- Payment can be made in ZAR, USD, GBP and using any of the methods Strauss & Co accepts (cash, credit card, EFT) or optionally with cryptocurrency.
Fanfire will facilitate payments made in ETH or BTC and stable coins. - SASA (South African Sommeliers Association is a non-profit organization and aims to offer its services to service industry professionals in South Africa. SASA will receive 1% of the hammer price from Strauss proceeds.
Why NFTs?
Non-fungible tokens are a highly efficient way to package a collection of wines for long term aging or trading. The digital contract is stored on the Polygon blockchain and the NFT includes the critical information of the transaction in provenance, barcode, pictures, pricing, along with sensorial and aging information. NFT transactions are cheap and fast, and don’t add any marginal energy cost. The NFTs can be traded by the owner on any platform, currently also on Opeansea.
The NFTs include perfect complimentary cellaring of the wines in professional storage with Wine Cellar until October 2023, with the option to extend at commercial rates thereafter. Contracts are held in a custodial wallet or sent to a cold wallet such as the Venox Vault.
Provenance
The Coats Family Cellar is arguably the most prestigious fine wine collection ever offered in South Africa. It contains an expansive collection of the worlds finest, most sought-after wines, spanning over 150 years. Collected over many decades, the cellar was imported from Ireland to South Africa via refrigerated container. Each bottle within the Coats Family Cellar was authenticated by Michael Egan in August 2022 and given an ID number for tracking.
Michael Egan is a world-expert in fine and rare wines with more than thirty five years of experience. He was the principal expert for the plaintiff in the two major wine counterfeiting trials in Koch v. Eric Greenberg and United States v. Rudy Kurniawan, both of which occurred in 2013.
Along with Michael Egan, the Strauss & Co Fine Wine team have tasted extensively through the cellar and are confident of the wine storage and hence quality. The entire collection is currently stored at Wine Cellar.
Critics Ratings
The historically renowned vintages of Mouton Rothschild, included in the NFT lot:
- 1945: Widely regarded as one of the greatest vintages in Bordeaux, the 1945 Mouton Rothschild is legendary and highly sought-after by collectors. (Wine Advocate 100-point score).
- 1982: Considered a benchmark vintage for Bordeaux, the 1982 Mouton Rothschild is characterized by its ripe fruit, structured tannins, and exceptional longevity. (Wine Advocate 100-point score).
- 1986: This vintage exhibits a combination of power, elegance, and complexity, with excellent aging potential. (Wine Advocate and Decanter 100-point score) Described by Robert Parker as ‘… one of the immortal wines of the century, with decades to go…’
- 1990: Known for its concentration and balance, the 1990 Mouton Rothschild is often regarded as one of the finest Bordeaux wines ever produced.
- 2000: A remarkable vintage, the 2000 Mouton Rothschild showcases intense flavours, velvety texture, and great aging potential.
- 2005: This vintage displays a harmonious blend of power and finesse, with well-integrated tannins and a long, persistent finish.
- 2009: Highly acclaimed by critics, the 2009 Mouton Rothschild offers richness, depth, and a velvety texture, making it a standout vintage.
- 2010: Considered one of the greatest vintages of the 21st century, the 2010 Mouton Rothschild impresses with its structure, elegance, and exceptional aging potential. (Decanter 100-point score, Wine Advocate 99-Points).
Jancis Robinson
Following a vertical tasting of the 90’s at the estate describes Mouton Rothschild as ‘remarkably classy and elegant’ ‘With a first growth from the 1990s, one is paying for the thoroughbred nature of the wine, the innate quality and balance, rather than power, opulent fruit or showy oak.’
‘…the classic Mouton characters of intense cassis, exotic spice and flamboyant oak’
‘The wines were also very fresh on the palate, all labelled at just 12.5% alcohol. 1996 lived up to expectation as the wine of the evening, with 1993 and 1999 above expectations.’
‘..a great Mouton-Rothschild, of which there are many, is a sensational wine that can eclipse its contemporaries.’ – Neal Martin
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