Before us we see a locked wrought-iron gate guarding 'the Chapel' - where we find the oldest and finest wines. Here we'll find Pétrus and Chateau d'Yquem which are on the wine list of Alain Ducasse's Louis XV restaurant in the Hôtel de Paris. The 1982 Pétrus is priced at 12,000 euros - no wonder the gate is locked. By the way, it's called Pétrus and not Château Pétrus simply because there is no château at the vineyard.Other "sacred" bottles which have played an important part in the history of wine are also stored close by. These include a bottle of 1811 "Roi de Rome" cognac from Sazerac-de-Forges et Fils, the last remaining bottle of a famous run of cognacs. The penultimate bottle was consumed in the Hôtel de Paris by Winston Churchill, who was a frequent visitor to the hotel.
Note: I've posted an additional photo on yesterday's champagne posting, plus a little more information.
8 comments:
So there we are finally, "the chapel", the holy grail!
So befitting that we get here on my birthday. Shall we have a virtual bottle of Petrus together? Cheers Jilly!
I have tried numerous times to photograph open-air gates without success. It's difficult to capture their pattern, but you did a fine job with this one!
I once tasted a sip of Petrus at a wine tasting and it says something that I've never forgotten it. It was indescribably good..
I'm not surprised they lock it up.
Happy birthday, Nathalie!
Let's ask the caviste for the best bottle in the house!
I like the lines cutting through the photo.
I guess they have to keep the really good wines locked up!
I can not imagine paying 12,000 euros for something that would be gone in an hour or two. One has to wonder where this Paris hotel got the bottles in the first place. Were they given to them by Petrus or did they pay a price as nearly obscene as the one they're selling the bottles for?
If I had a case of Petrus I'd put it in a climate-controlled bank vault. I love wine but I'm an aggressive value shopper. There was a time I bought a little Bordeaux but then I started paying children's college tuition. No more.
Amazing detail.
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