Collecting is intrinsic to human nature. The collector, whether of art, design, watches, books or, what matters to us, bottles of wine, despite the different nature of the goods, has an essential characteristic: passion. It is the passion that moves the steps of every collector, and, alongside it, also a good dose of knowledge.

These characteristics are clearly recognizable in the batches we have selected from the very rich wineries that our experts have visited. The catalog you hold in your hands contains, together with the traditional sessions divided by geographical region, two sessions of batches from two unique wineries.

The first comes from the collection of the great journalist and wine critic Daniel Thomases, who unfortunately passed away a year ago. Pandolfini is honored to pay tribute to the great wine writer with a selection of 29 batches of labels from our beloved country, which Daniel loved so much. Tuscany and Piedmont were his favorite regions, and he left us a real treasure of the latter: a large 12-liter format of Barolo Falletto Riserva by Bruno Giacosa from 1996. One of only six exemplars produced, was given as a gift by Bruno Giacosa to Thomases, as a sign of the great friendship and respect that the winemaker felt for his work.

To stay in Piedmont, before the second ownership, we have entered our selections of batches from the major producers in the area, and here too there is no shortage of unique bottles: a quarter of brenta from the 1955 reserve of Giacomo Conterno's Barolo Monfortino closes the session. The peculiarity in the rarity? This is the number 1 bottle produced by the historic Langhe winery.

The second session from a single property that will be proposed belongs to an important entrepreneur, profound connoisseur of the Italian and French oenological world, who over the years has stored all the best labels in his cellar, even from historic vintages, such as the bottle of Mouton Rothschild from 1945 in excellent condition. A collection always reflects the taste of its creator, and being the owner a great lover of Pinot Noir and of the region that enhances it at the highest levels, Burgundy, the main nucleus of the selection entrusted to us could only be composed of the best that this region has to offer: Armand Rousseau, Leflaive, Romanée-Conti, Bruno Chevalier, and also some bottles of the incomparable Henri Jayer, including the famous Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux.

On the morning of the second day we will leave Italy, with batches from our region: Tuscany. There will be a focus on the main producers of the Bolgheri area, known for their Super Tuscans: Ornellaia, Masseto and Sassicaia, with formats ranging from half bottles to 6-liter Mathusalem.

To close the third session, we cross the Alps and return to the Château and Maison area, with all the big names that fans know well: Margaux, Lafite Rothschild, Haut Brion, Dom Perignon, Salon, and Krug, the latter in all its variations, from rosé to the highly prized Clos d'Ambonnay.

The fourth and final session focuses solely on Burgundy, land of the finest Grand Crus: Chambertin, Corton-Charlemagne, Montrachet, Musigny, and the list goes on. Of each of these, the production is very limited: emblematic is the Musigny of the Domaine George Roumier, which has an average annual production of just 350 bottles, one of which from 2014 we are honored to present in the catalog.

The catalog is the most full-bodied ever made for an auction in our department, but we could not leave out any batch: each one is a real jewel, essential for those who love the world of wine and put their heart and passion in the search for exclusive bottles. This catalog, almost like a Vademecum, is dedicated to those who feel the need to enrich their collection and want to make it unique: the true collector.