Robert Mondavi Winery has partnered with French porcelain specialist Bernardaud for limited-edition wines dubbed The MCMLXVI Collection. The name – 1966 in Roman numerals – pays tribute to the year the winery was founded, with the collection comprising 1,966 bottles exclusively sold through non fungible tokens (NFTs).
US-based winery Robert Mondavi Winery’s MCMLXVI Collection consists of 1,966 1.5-liter magnums (Bernardaud) made of Limoges porcelain. The porcelain is fired at 1,400°C in order to imbue it with qualities such as hardness, translucency and sonority. This marks the first time Bernardaud has created wine bottles in its 150-year history.
With authenticity, traceability and ownership in mind, MCMLXVI Collection is available for purchase through NFT’s, or unique identifiable digital assets stored on the blockchain. Robert Mondavi Winery called on generative artist Clay Heaton to create artworks for each bottle. Priced at $3,500, each NFT will serve as a token to claim the bottle starting in September 2022.
The collection is comprised of three different bespoke bottles housing custom wine blends created by three winemakers - Geneviève Janssens, Andy Erickson and Thomas Rivers Brown. While two of the bottles have a glossy lacquer finish, the third is matte black and features a relief-type décor around the base that is engraved in the mold. As a nod to the Robert Mondavi logo, all of the bottles are engraved with a 24-carat gold and platinum stamp depicting the arch at the entrance of the winery. Each bottle is topped with a custom porcelain cork stopper.
Bottle/StopperBernardaud
