This June, Christie’s Wine in New York is proud to present one of the greatest single-owner wine collections ever to come to market: The Cellar of William I. Koch: The Great American Collector. This landmark auction will be held live over three days, from June 12–14, at Christie’s iconic Rockefeller Center location. A once-in-a-generation sale, the auction will feature a highly curated selection of rare bottlings from the world’s most revered wine estates, in legendary vintages, including more than 750 extraordinary large-format bottles.
“It is with great pride that we present The Cellar of William I. Koch: The Great American Collector, marking the highly anticipated relaunch of our Fine Wine sales in New York this June. Mr. Koch is truly one-of-a-kind icon in the world of wine, whose influence on the story of fine wine collecting is both profound and enduring,” says Adam Bilbey, Christie’s Global Head of Wine and Spirits.
An industrialist, America’s Cup winner, and one of the world’s foremost collectors, William ‘Bill’ Koch has spent a lifetime pursuing his many passions—the collecting of fine wine being a lifetime highlight. Drawn from his renowned cellars in Palm Beach, Cape Cod and Aspen, this world-famous collection offers a “never-to-be-seen-again” lineup of historic vintages from the greatest names in wine. Over the course of the three-day event, passionate oenophiles from around the globe will have the opportunity to engage with approximately 1,500 lots, representing historic vintages interpreted by the greatest growers. Bordeaux and Burgundy figure most prominently in the offering, complemented by significant selections from Champagne, the Rhône Valley, Italy, and the New World. The sale will feature stellar vintages from prestigious producers such as Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Pétrus, Mouton Rothschild, Lafite Rothschild, Leroy, Henri Jayer, Armand Rousseau, Margaux, and Château Cheval Blanc, among others. At the heart of this unprecedented auction will be more than 750 majestic large-format bottles, including over 45 Jeroboams and Methuselahs of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, promising to make this a truly historic event.