Christian Vannequé
Christian Vannequé | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 20, 1949 |
| Died | January 9, 2015 (aged 65) |
| Occupations | Sommelier, restaurateur |
| Known for | Participation in the Judgment of Paris (1976), record purchase of 1811 Château d'Yquem |
Christian Vannequé (20 August 1949 – 9 January 2015) was a French sommelier and restaurateur.
Career
In 1967, he began at the three star Tour d'Argent restaurant in Paris as an assistant cellar man. He rose to become the restaurant's head sommelier, at 20 years old the youngest head sommelier in France. He served as an expert wine taster at the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976 (Judgment of Paris), and also participated in The Judgment of Paris 30th Anniversary.[1]
In later years, Vannequé opened restaurants of his own in France, the United States, and Bali.
1811 Chateau d'Yquem purchase
On July 26, 2011, Vannequé set a record for the highest price paid for a bottle of white wine, purchasing a bottle of Chateau d'Yquem, vintage 1811, for £75,000 (US$123,000) from The Antique Wine Company.[2] He purchased the dessert wine in anticipation of celebrating the 50th anniversary of his career, but he died before he could do so.[3]
References
- ^ Taber 2005, pp. 304–308, Appendix
- ^ Woodard, Richard (27 July 2011). "Chateau d'Yquem bottle fetches £75,000". Decanter Magazine. Archived from the original on 1 June 2012.
- ^ Fitzgerald, Madeline (25 September 2024). "The Glenlivet has a new $55,000 scotch to celebrate its 200th anniversary". Quartz. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
Further reading
- Taber, George M. (13 September 2005), The Judgment of Paris: California vs France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Wine, Scribner, ISBN 978-0-7432-4751-1
- "Who's The Boss - Christian Vanneque (1949 – 2015)". SIP Bali. 23 January 2015. Archived from the original on 29 January 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
- Chapman, Glenn (26 May 2006). "California wines win epic rematch". The Standard. China. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007.