Would you have done the same or not? “I'm saying goodbye to my wines for $15 million, it's impossible to drink them all.” This is the decision made by a record-breaking collector in the US. Let's find out how many bottles we're talking about and all the background to this decision.
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Some people collect stamps, others collect vintage cars or diamonds. Then there is Bill Koch, an American billionaire with a refined palate and encyclopaedic knowledge, who has chosen to accumulate bottles of wine as if they were verses of poetry in a songbook. The result? A monumental collection, which Christie's is preparing to unpack in a three-day auction in New York, from June 12 to 14. The catalog includes almost 8,000 bottles, with an estimated value of no less than $15 million. But it's not just a question of numbers: Koch's cellar has made contemporary wine history, so much so that it has been described by Adam Bilbey, global head of wine & spirits at Christie's, as “one of the greatest wine collections of our time.”
Anyone wandering among the shelves of Koch's residence in Palm Beach, Florida, will find themselves in a veritable wine sanctuary: an air-conditioned temple where the art of wine collecting has merged, over decades, with the passion of a man who has lived wine as an integral part of his existence. “Building—and then drinking—this cellar has been one of the greatest joys of my life,” said Koch, who didn't miss the opportunity to add a touch of irony to Decanter: “It doesn't take a genius to figure out that there's more wine down here than I could ever consume, even if I threw a party every night.” And so, the auction is on. Among the most valuable lots are some true icons of world winemaking: a box of six magnums of Petrus 1990 and a lot of four bottles of the legendary Mouton Rothschild 1945 – the so-called “vintage of victory,” produced in the year World War II ended – with estimates ranging from $38,000 and $50,000 each.
But it is the size that really captures the imagination: more than 750 maxi bottles, including jeroboams and methuselahs, with over 45 labels from the legendary Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. In particular, a three-liter jeroboam of Montrachet Grand Cru 1986 could fetch $30,000, while a magnum of Henri Jayer, Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux 1990, could reach $38,000. Koch's story, however, is not just one of six-figure purchases. It is also a story of active militancy against the dark side of the wine market. Over the years, the billionaire has been one of the most prominent crusaders against counterfeiting in the fine wine sector. His name has emerged several times in high-profile legal battles, such as the one that led to the conviction in 2013 of Rudy Kurniawan, one of the most notorious wine counterfeiters in history. Koch testified in court as the injured party, contributing decisively to the verdict. This is not the first time he has decided to lighten his collection: in 2016, he entrusted Christie's with part of his wine treasures. But this new round represents an exceptional event for the global market.
The New York auction also marks an important moment for Christie's, which returns to the spotlight of the international wine scene after a slowdown in the market. Since the end of 2022, prices for collectible wines have been falling, with buyers becoming increasingly cautious and selective. Yet the appeal of rare bottles, especially those linked to a fascinating personal history such as Koch's, continues to exert an irresistible attraction. “When you reach a certain level of rarity, accompanied by a name and a story, there are still people willing to invest to secure those lots,” explained Edwin Vos, international head of Christie's wine department, who recently flew to New York to oversee the organization of the event. "At one point, we found ourselves in front of an entire wall of Romanée-Conti bottles. It is one of the most extraordinary collections I have ever seen." The appeal is not just romantic. This is also evidenced by the secondary market: the Liv-ex 100 index, which monitors the most collected wines, has more than tripled in value since 2005, proving that wine investment – when well targeted – can be not only a pleasure for the palate, but also a wise financial decision.
There is something deeply human and visionary about the idea of building a wine cellar not just to drink the wine, but to dream about it. Bill Koch's collection is a liquid atlas of decades of research, passion, and stubborn beauty: a work of art composed of bottles that tell the story of eras, territories, and skilled hands. Now those bottles will leave the “air-conditioned cathedral” of Palm Beach to meet new palates, new collectors, new lives. And like any work of art that changes hands, they will carry with them the imprint of their creator, a billionaire who knew how to live wine as an adventure, and who today, with elegance, passes on the torch.
