The Shawn Carter Foundation has debuted “Bottle No. 1” of the new D’usse 1969 Anniversaire Limited Edition at Sotheby’s. An auction for the bottle is set to begin March 1, 2021 and all proceeds will benefit the Shawn Carter Foundation.
The auction will reveal the first bottle of D’Usse’s small collection of ultra-rare Grande Champagne Cognac from a single barrel, which has aged for decades at one of the oldest and most storied Cognac houses in France—the Château de Cognac. All 285 bottles in the collection are numbered with an inscription on the topper to showcase their place in the batch, and feature a 12-cut crystal diamond decanter design encased in a luxurious leather box adorned with opulent accents. With an estimated value of $25,000-75,000, the donated Bottle No. 1 also boasts 24 karat gold foil around the neck and a signature from part-owner, legendary rapper-entrepreneur and Cognac connoisseur Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter.
Under the tutelage of the senior-most cellar master working today, Maître de Chai Michel Casavecchia, the distinctive liquid has at long last matured harmoniously to reach wholeness, and can never be replicated once emptied from the barrel. Carter first tasted the unique Cognac many years ago and found it so remarkable that he noted it must be carefully saved for a momentous occasion. After D’Usse surprised him with the first ever bottle in celebration of his 50th birthday, Carter is finally presenting the collection to the world in partnership with the Shawn Carter Foundation and Sotheby’s for the first—and only—time in history.
“When our Cellar Master, Michel Casavecchia, discovered the aged liquid at the Château de Cognac and explained how truly one of a kind it is, it was important to me to honor it by doing something that would celebrate its singularity,” shared Carter. “Once that barrel is emptied, there’s no way the liquid can be recreated. The whole process behind the 1969 Anniversaire collection reminded me why I got involved in the spirits industry in the first place–to create something that will stand the test of time. It means a lot that we’re finally able to share the D’USSÉ 1969 Anniversaire Limited Edition with the rest of the world, and we’re proud to auction the first bottle in the collection with Sotheby’s to benefit the Shawn Carter Foundation.”
Online bidding for Bottle No. 1 begins at sothebys.com starting March 1, 2021 at 9am ET. The highest bid will be awarded and announced at the Sotheby’s Finest & Rarest Spirits sale on Saturday, March 13, 2021 at 9am ET. All proceeds will benefit the Shawn Carter Foundation to directly support the professional development and entrepreneurship workshops designed for college alumni. Starting early May, the remaining bottles in the collection will retail for a suggested retail price of $10,000 in key cities across the country.
“It’s been an honor to watch this exquisite liquid mature at the historic Château de Cognac,” says Casavecchia. “Now bright gold with shiny reflections, the Cognac in each bottle of the 1969 Anniversaire Limited Edition has rich aromas of fresh walnut, hazelnut, and candied apple, and a flavor profile that reveals an incomparable potency—woody at the start, with a long finish of stewed fruits, a touch of leather, and cigar box. It’s with immense privilege that we welcome this collection to the D’USSÉ family.”
According to the brand, “the D’usse 1969 Anniversaire Limited Edition collection encapsulates the essence of D’USSÉ Cognac: rich in heritage, complete in flavor, and made at the highest quality.”
