Inside Australia's Most Important Private Wine Collection
The latest auction comprises a whopping 100 lots of Halliday's personal passion, French producer Domaine Armand Rousseau. A fourth-generation, family-run vineyard based in the Côte de Nuits wine-growing region of Burgundy, the producer is among the finest proponents of pinot noir excellence, just ask Anderson.
'Domaine Armand Rousseau is one of the finest domaines in Burgundy and therefore the world. These wines are expensive, difficult to acquire and challenging to understand,' he explained. 'That James' cellar contains so many vintages of so many Rousseau cuvées speaks of a long-term commitment to this domaine. As one of the world's most respected wine critics and an authority on Burgundy, James would have his pick of the various great domaines of Burgundy and he went long on Rousseau. We can infer from this that these wines have sustained his interest over decades.'
Each Domaine Armand Rousseau bottle in the collection is personally signed by the wine critic himself, signalling just how dearly Halliday revered the product. Collectors will find a 1999 Clos des Ruchottes Monopole, a 1976 Clos de la Roche, and the crown jewel: a 1990 Chambertin Grand Cru, all from the iconic Burgundy producer. But it doesn't stop there. The auction is a global tour of iconic winemaking:
A 1996 illecart-Salmon Cuvee Nicolas Francois Billecart Brut from Champagne.
A 1997 Dr Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling-Spatlese from the Mosel.
A 1980 Domaine Clape from the Rhône Valley.
Even a 1974 Chateau de Fonasalette Côtes-du-Rhône, a vintage older than some of Halliday's youngest readers.
As Anderson explains, a collection as wide-ranging and significant as this makes for an interesting project. Wines such as these rarely hit the auction bloc,k and when they do, it's generally due to tragedy or economic hardship. In the case of James Hallday, it's merely an opportunity to do what he has done so fruitfully for over four decades: share his passion with Australia.
'Cellars are unique. Most have something in common, but they all have their idiosyncrasies, and collectors who have an emotional attachment to them have invested so much time, often a lifetime, into their cellars. One does have to pause and take a moment to acknowledge the commitment and respect that parting with one's collection can be emotional,' Anderson said.
'Personally, I feel a great amount of pride in leading the team to bring this auction to market and no little privilege besides. I get to discuss James Halliday's Private Cellar with the man himself.'
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He might also be an overgrown baby throwing a tantrum and smashing his toys. Except they're not toys. Like the election of Trump himself, his trade wars amount to a mass exercise in self-harm – but it won't be confined to the US. As Coggan points out, clearly, with a mix of the amused and bemused, the tariffs will be paid, not by foreign companies, but American ones, which will pass the cost on in increased prices for domestic goods. Coggan is also deeply aware of the history of such economic folly, likening Trump's tariffs to Churchill's decision in 1925 to move England back on the gold standard – which eventually resulted in the general strike of 1926. Underpinning that move, and MAGA (not to mention Brexit), is an absurd nostalgia for the lost paradise of imperial greatness. On top of this is the sheer uncertainty of world trade now – policies issued one day, being reversed the next. The only certainty is that those who voted for Trump will be the ones hurt most, and the already obscenely rich will get richer through tax cuts for the wealthy. This is brilliant synoptic analysis. Australia's Aviation Heroes Colin Burgess Simon & Schuster, $36.99 In April 1918, Australian reconnaissance pilot Jack Treacy was a pallbearer when the Red Baron (shot down by Australian anti-craft) was buried. As the body was lowered, however, the ground gave way, and he nearly went to the grave with the German ace. It's one of the more comic tales in this record of Australian airmen in war and peace – often taking pivotal roles. In 1942, no-fuss Queenslander Donald Bennett, for example, founded the Pathfinders squadron, which went ahead and dropped flares over target areas – highly dangerous. A more flamboyant character was fighter ace Clive 'Killer' Caldwell, who downed five Stukas in one operation. 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Despite its claims to being definitive (Amy Odell interviewed over 200 people from family to colleagues and friends, but never interviewed Paltrow, as much as she tried), this biography, often as not, highlights the problem any biographer has to face - the impossibility of getting inside the head of the subject. Odell takes us back into a childhood (father film producer, mother actress, Stephen Spielberg her godfather) that was almost designed to produce a Hollywood star. She also delves into Goop, her company that markets wellness products, much to the horror of the US medical profession. What comes through is the paradoxical nature of her subject; constantly in the spotlight, but elusive and often retiring. Odell attempts to give us a portrait from all sorts of angles, and not just her good side.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Perth Now
Where to get the BEST toasties in Perth
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