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New York City, November 1, 2007.
The 2005 vintage marks the 20th anniversary of Tenuta dell'Ornellaia's flagship label, Ornellaia, and to celebrate the estate released for the first time ever a 9-litre salmanazar of Ornellaia 2005. The bottle as described below by Christie's Auction House sold for a remarkable $28,000.00 (in 40 seconds) at the Finest and Rarest Wines auction held at Christie's New York on October 29, 2007.
"A special 20th anniversary logo has been designed and engraved on the highly collectable large format bottles of the 2005 vintage: Magnum (1.5 litre), Double Magnum (3 litre), Imperial (6.0 litre) and the unique, 9 litre Salmanazar presented here. This prestigious bottle, with a pure gold silk-screened engraving has been placed, together with a certificate of authenticity, in a special box created by an artisan from Bolgheri."
All the money form the sale will be donated to the Friends of Florence to further promote excellence in Italian art. Friends of Florence is a non-profit foundation that will celebrate the tenth anniversary of its work dedicated to the protection, restoration and preservation of Florence's artistic and architectural masterpieces. The Tenuta dell'Ornellaia donation will be earmarked for the Baptistery Project, which includes the restoration of Francesco Rustici's bronze sculpture group above the north door of the Baptistery.
The successful (Seattle) bidder will also be heading to Italy for a three-day stay at Ornellaia to pick up the salmanazar. The sojourn includes a guided tour to Florence to see the restored Baptistery Project masterpieces. The successful bidder will also be listed as a major donor and included on the plaque with the names of the other contributors that will be permanently displayed in the Museo dell' Opera del Duomo in Florence.
