Zachys to auction ‘staggering’ cellar of New York’s most historic Italian restaurant

Auction house Zachys is to auction wines from the cellars of Barbetta, the 120-year-old New York Italian restaurant that “helped shape America’s appreciation of Italian wine” but which closed its doors in February this year.

The single owner sale features historic wines from Barbetta’s owner, Laura Maioglio, a collection of “staggering” breadth bought direct from the producers upon release, that offers collectors the chance to buy some of the rarest Italian wines in the US.

Charles Antin, Zachys global head of auction, said that Barbetta was “not just a restaurant” but “an institution that helped shape America’s appreciation of Italian wine”. He pointed out that Maioglio had assembled the cellar “over decades, with incredible passion and care.”

“Collections like this simply do not come to market often,” he added.

The collection includes what would be a “world class cellar” of Gaja in its own right, featuring deep, back-vintage verticals of all five single-vineyard cuvées; Barbaresco bottlings dating back to 1957, 1958 and 1962; and a plethora of Super Tuscans – comprising Masseto in an unbroken run from the 1988 vintage onwards, Ornellaia dating back to its earliest releases;  Sassicaia going back to the 1979 vintage and a “majestic” Solaia vertical from 1985 to 2004.

It also includes a range of historic Barolos from well-known producers, including the 1947, 52 and 61 vintages from Giacomono Bougogno Riserva, and wines from Giacomo Conterno, including some early  ‘classico’ riservas such as the 1964, 1971, 1973 and 1974 vintages from Barolo Monfortino Riserva, which pre-date the estate narrowing its range, making them “irreplaceable artefacts of Barolo history”.

Barbetta was established in New York’s theatre district in 1906 by Sebastiano Maioglio, set within four historic townhouses that were once owned by the Astor family. Close to Broadway and Time Square in midtown Manhattan, it naturally attracted an eclectic crowd of artists, actors, architects, politicians and collectors, including Robert de Niro, the Rolling Stones, Al Pacino and Roger Moore, who came for the dining and ambience as much as for the wine selection. Underneath the restaurant, the cellar housed more than 20,000 bottles of wine and for many years, the restaurant was the sole importer of Barbaresco and Gattinara in the US.

 

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