Charity Wine Auction in Support of Jean-Louis Étienne’s Scientific Project

After Traveling from the North Pole to the South Pole, La Chablisienne’s Magnums Return to France for an Exceptional Auction

From 6 to 8 October 2026, Aguttes will celebrate an extraordinary maritime, scientific and winemaking adventure: that of 120 magnums of La Chablisienne’s Chablis Les Vénérables 2017, which embarked aboard Persévérance on a voyage between the two poles. Models, photographs, navigation instruments and historic bottles will retrace this remarkable expedition at the auction house. On 8 October at 7 p.m., Aguttes will conduct an auction featuring magnums as well as unique experiences, including cellar visits, crew uniforms and an introduction to wine tasting. Proceeds will be donated to the Persévérance scientific program, dedicated to the study of the Southern Ocean.

An Extraordinary Adventure for La Chablisienne’s Magnums

On 21 June 2023, 120 magnums of La Chablisienne’s Chablis Les Vénérables 2017 left dry land to embark on an extraordinary adventure. Stored in the hold of Persévérance, Dr. Jean-Louis Étienne’s oceanographic schooner, the bottles traveled nearly 55,000 kilometers, or 30,200 nautical miles, between the North Pole and the South Pole.

On 14 March 2024, after several months at sea, the magnums returned to France, docking at the port of Concarneau. Having crossed the oceans and accompanied the crew on this scientific adventure, they are now about to begin a new chapter in their history: an auction in aid of Jean-Louis Étienne’s scientific project.

Magnums That Became Witnesses to a Scientific Adventure

Beyond their significance as wines, these magnums of Chablis Les Vénérables 2017 now carry with them the story of a unique journey. Their voyage aboard Persévérance gives them a special significance, making each bottle a tangible memento of this expedition to the farthest reaches of the planet.

Also on board was a sailor with a particularly close connection to Chablis: Damien Leclerc, Managing Director of La Chablisienne. By taking part in the adventure, he was able to experience Jean-Louis Étienne and his crew’s expedition firsthand.

Upon returning to Chablis with a wealth of memories, Damien Leclerc wanted to extend the adventure by giving these bottles a new purpose: offering them at auction in aid of Dr. Jean-Louis Étienne’s association.

The auction will therefore support Jean-Louis Étienne’s scientific project dedicated to exploring the Southern Ocean, considered one of the planet’s major carbon sinks.

Jean-Louis Étienne: Exploration in the Service of Science

A doctor and explorer, Jean-Louis Étienne has been leading expeditions in some of the planet’s most extreme environments for more than forty years, guided by one conviction: exploration is a powerful means of advancing scientific knowledge and raising awareness of major environmental challenges.

In 1986, he became the first person to reach the North Pole alone on foot. Since then, he has undertaken numerous polar and ocean expeditions, devoting his adventures to observing and understanding the planet’s major natural systems.

With Persévérance, his oceanographic schooner, Jean-Louis Étienne continues this mission by providing scientists with a dedicated platform for ocean exploration and observation. The vessel is intended in particular for the study of the Southern Ocean, a region that plays an essential role in the global climate system and is one of the planet’s major carbon sinks.

Through this project, Dr. Jean-Louis Étienne aims to gain a better understanding of the Southern Ocean’s role in regulating the climate and to advance scientific knowledge of an environment that remains largely unexplored.

A Three-Day Exhibition Retracing the Adventure

From 6 to 8 October, Aguttes will host an exhibition devoted to this exceptional adventure. Over the course of three days, visitors will be invited behind the scenes of the 120 magnums’ journey through a selection of objects and documents, including a model of Persévérance, navigation instruments, photographs from the expedition, historic bottles from La Chablisienne and other objects bearing witness to this remarkable story.

On 8 October at 8 p.m., Aguttes will conduct the auction of the 120 magnums of Chablis Les Vénérables 2017, with proceeds benefiting Jean-Louis Étienne’s scientific project.

Trois jours d’exposition pour raconter l’aventure

Du 6 au 8 octobre, Aguttes accueillera une exposition consacrée à cette aventure exceptionnelle. Durant ces trois journées, le public pourra découvrir les coulisses du voyage des 120 magnums à travers une sélection d’objets et de documents : maquette de Persévérance, instruments de navigation, photographies de l’expédition, bouteilles anciennes de La Chablisienne et autres objets témoins de cette histoire.

Le 8 octobre à 20h se tiendra la vente aux enchères des 120 magnums de Chablis Les Vénérables 2017, organisée par Aguttes au profit du projet scientifique de Jean-Louis Étienne.

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How Wine Ages at Sea

The swell creates constant motion, which can “gently agitate” the wine, imparting roundness, body, and smoothness, and slightly accelerating its evolution—though this has a positive effect on aromatic complexity rather than on aging.

Moderate temperature fluctuations, as well as changes in atmospheric pressure, act as catalysts for aging.