An exceptional collection of first growth wines encased in an elegant, hand-crafted box.
The Antique Wine Company and British design house Linley are furthering their collaboration to create the ultimate collector's item - an exquisite selection of five first growths housed in a beautifully crafted wine box created in Santos rosewood with Indian rosewood, ebony and satinwood inlay.
The predominant feature of the wine box is the intertwined twin strands of the double helix, or the unit cell of DNA in marquetry inlay. This motif characterises the iconic Linley Helix furniture collection, and is also featured in the recently launched Linley for Bentley Continental Flying Spur, for which Linley has designed the interior.
The motif itself is made up of four different types of veneer that contrast with the Santos rosewood. These have been applied using the technique of marquetry inlay, the meticulous discipline whereby veneers are cut to a design - either by hand or by laser depending on the levels of intricacy - and pieced together to form a pattern before being applied to a solid base, in this instance to depict the double helix.
Marquetry in its crude form was introduced over 3000 years ago by the Egyptians and indeed adorns the tomb of Tutakhamun. The technique has been refined substantially over the ensuing years and in particular in recent years with the introduction of laser technology to allow precision cutting and minute detailing.
David Linley comments: ""The intricate marquetry detailing on the box we have created with the Antique Wine Company epitomises fine craftsmanship at its best, and therefore is a be-fitting home for wines that are themselves feats of artisan skill and perfectionism. This latest venture marks an exciting new chapter in the LINLEY / AWC partnership."
An adjunct to the distinctive Helix collection, the wine box will house five of the finest bottles of Bordeaux selected by renowned wine merchants The Antique Wine Company, who specialise in supplying remarkable wines to many of the worlds most sophisticated wine buyers.
The selection includes: Chateau Lafite Rothschild 2003 - one of the most prestigious wines of the vintage and according to Robert Parker, a modern clone of the 1959. It represents a ripe version of the essence of Lafite-Rothschild.
Chateau Latour 1982 is "Flamboyant, concentrated and opulent" - some of the words used by wine critics to describe it. Antique Wine's Managing Director Stephen Williams, commented: "Whilst the 82 Latour is magnificent to enjoy today, its massive structure will last for another 50 or more years".
Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1986 - one of the most profound wines of the vintage, rated 100 points, is almost port like in style and considered one of the greatest achievements of this chateau's first growths.
Chateau Margaux 2000 - Legendary Margaux winemaker, Paul Pontallier, commented that this wine was the most tannic and concentrated - made for the last 40 years. However the freshness and ripe tannins create a great balance between modern day wine-making and traditionally-styled Bordeaux.
Chateau Haut Brion 1989 - Robert Parker describes this wine as "One of the immortal wines and one of the greatest young Bordeaux wines of the last half-century." Haut Brion is one of the most consistent Chateau in all of Bordeaux and in 1989 their wine outshone all others.
Fifty of the beautiful Santos rosewood boxes will be produced, each featuring a commemorative numbered plaque and co-branded Linley / Antique Wine Company. The exquisite design would be impossible to replicate, due to the superb craftsmanship applied at the Linley workshop.
The wine collection is displayed through a toughened glass top with a polished nickel stringing around the frame. A luxurious suede lines the interior of the box, which also features a removable stand with cut-out intersections that hold each bottle securely in place. Each box can be used as both a beautiful decorative item in its own right, which could be multi-functional, or refilled with replacement vintages on an on-going basis.
