Bottle of 1815 Rainwater Madeira From Esteemed Cellars of Maryland’s Hampton Mansion Lands in Heritage’s June 20 Wine Auction

With ties to the estate of former Governor Charles Carnan Ridgely and legendary financier J.P. Morgan, the bottle is an extraordinary artifact of American and viticultural history DOWNLOAD DIGITAL PRESS KIT DALLAS, Texas (June 5, 2025) — On June 20, historic winemaking, early U.S. politics and the collecting traditions of the Founding Era elite will converge in Heritage’s Fine & Rare Wine Signature® Auction. The feature in the auction is ancient Madeira, including a d’Oliveiras Malvasia Reserva Madeira from 1875, a William H. Fearing Sercial Madeira from 1816, two bottles of Companhia Vinicola de Madeira Terrantez Madeira dating back to 1795 and a bottle of 1815 Rainwater Madeira originating from one of the great estates of the early American republic. The 1815 Madeira hails from the esteemed Ridgely family cellars at Hampton Mansion, home of Charles Carnan Ridgely, Maryland’s governor from 1816 to 1819 and scion of one of early America’s most powerful families. Likely purchased by the pipe and matured in demijohn or cask on the estate, this 1815 vintage was bottled in 1910, nearly a century after harvest, and bears the “G.G.” mark found in the archival invoice of 200 bottles sold that year by John Ridgely to the legendary financier and collector J.P. Morgan. That invoice, now preserved in the archives of Maryland’s Hampton National Historic Site, lists two crates containing “Hampton Madeira 1815 G.G.,” directly matching this bottle. “With a vintage marking the very year Ridgely was elected to office, provenance tying it to both an American governor and one of the most powerful financiers in history, and physical documentation preserved in a national archive, this bottle is not only a relic of Madeira’s golden age,” says Frank Martell, Heritage’s Senior Director of Fine & Rare Wine. “It is a tangible artifact of American history, collecting culture and transatlantic legacy.” The label affixed to the bottle offers a brief biography of Governor Ridgely and a generational accounting of the family. However, as noted by Gregory R. Weidman, chief curator at Hampton National Historic Site, it is unlikely the Ridgelys produced the label themselves. The label’s historical narration, referencing facts the family already would have known, suggests it was likely commissioned by Morgan or his Baltimore agent Douglas H. Thomas, a prominent banker and renowned Madeira collector who helped facilitate the transaction. This type of label may have been created for cataloging or gifting purposes within Morgan’s inner circle and reflects the connoisseurship of the Gilded Age elite. The bottle was later acquired at the Heublein Premiere National Auction of Rare Wines on May 27, 1976, in New Orleans. According to Hampton’s curators, another bottle from the same bottling — with nearly identical labeling — was donated to the museum in 1991 by a Washington, D.C., gentleman who had received it from the owner of the famed Brussels Restaurant, a New York dining institution that closed in the 1980s. That donor also provided a photocopy of the Heublein auction listing, linking the bottle to the 1976 sale. Sister bottles with matching labels and verified Ridgely provenance are now housed in the permanent collection of the Hampton National Historic Site. The bottles of ancient Madeira aren’t the only exceptional lots in Heritage’s expertly curated June auction, however. The sale also offers a tour through the top echelons of the fine wine world, featuring more than 700 lots with nearly 5,000 bottles from distinguished private cellars with impeccable provenance. The auction is particularly strong in domestic Cabernet Sauvignon and Meritage blends, including 49 lots of Screaming Eagle and 22 lots of Harlan Estate. Trophy wines include a case of 2014 Chateau Petrus, plus rare Burgundy gems such as 2017 DRC La Tâche and 2022 Cros Parantoux from Emmanuel Rouget. As Martell notes, “Whether you’re seeking a single crown jewel or exploring deep regional collections through both single bottles and mixed lots, this sale delivers exceptional cellar-worthy opportunities.” Images and information about all lots in Heritage’s June 20 Fine & Rare Wine Signature® Auction can be found here. Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world's largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Heritage also enjoys the highest Online traffic and dollar volume of any auction house on earth (source: SimilarWeb and Hiscox Report). The Internet's most popular auction-house website, HA.com, has more than 2 million registered bidder-members and searchable free archives of 7,000,000 past auction records with prices realized, descriptions and enlargeable photos. Reproduction rights routinely granted to media for photo credit. For breaking stories, follow us: HA.com/Facebook and HA.com/Twitter . Link to this release or view prior press releases . Hi-Res images available: Rhonda Reinhart, Communications Specialist 214-409-1798; RhondaR@HA.com