Worldwide auction of heavyweight 2005 Bordeaux to benefit environment
January 15, 2007
Panos Kakaviatos
Bottles of the lauded 2005 Bordeaux vintage will go under the hammer in a worldwide auction later this year to benefit the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.
The auction, co-organised by Florence and Daniel Cathiard of Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Jean Michel Cazes of Château Lynch Bages and Sothebys, will be hosted by Serena Sutcliffe MW in London, with real time participation via remote connection in Paris, Monaco and New York.
Money raised from the sale of donated wine from top Bordeaux châteaux will benefit the three main initiatives of the prince's foundation: climate change, biodiversity and available drinking water. The foundation is an environmental initiative launched by the prince last year.
'Here in Bordeaux, we want to be more active in raising funds for important causes, and because the environment impacts wine and wine harvests, this is truly an important cause,' Florence Cathiard told decanter.com
Although it is expected to take place in May, a date has not yet been set for the auction, which is still in the planning stages, Cathiard said after meetings in Paris with Sothebys.
Prince Albert II has announced he will attend the annual Fete de la Fleur dinner – which celebrates the flowering of the vines – on 21 June at Château Smith Haut Lafitte.
Some 1,500 guests including 'top wine VIPS' are to attend the dinner, which will also commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Pessac-Léognan appellation in the northern Graves region of Bordeaux, said Smith Haut Lafitte representative David Ornon.
Prince Albert recently explored the Arctic region to study the effects of climate change.
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