The Cellar of William I. Koch: The Great American Collector Auction Achieves $28.8 Million
The once-in-a-generation collection from renowned collector William I. “Bill” Koch ignited spirited bidding, achieving $28.8 Million and setting a record as the largest single-owner wine collection ever sold in North America. The celebratory three-day auction was held at Christie’s Rockefeller Center achieving 154% of the low estimate. The sale attracted global participation across generations, with 42% of registrants being new to wine auctions at Christie’s.
The highest price realized was the 1999 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti, a Methuselah, which sold for $275,000. Closely following was a lot of three Magnums of the same wine, achieving $237,500—more than double its high estimate.
Bill Koch comments: “I hope these wines that I have spent years collecting and curating will bring joy and great memories to their new owners. Drink them in good health. I want to thank my staff and the expert team at Christie’s for handling these wines with great care. Their teamwork and professionalism were superb.”
Adam Bilbey, Christie’s Global Head of Wine & Spirits, commented: “Today concluded a once-in-a-generation sale from the truly iconic cellar of William I. Koch. Including wines of incredible rarity, this magnificent selection attracted collectors of all ages from across the globe, and we were delighted to see incredible competition online on Christie’s Live, from the phone and in the room for the entire duration of the three-day sale. We are thrilled with the outcome; this simultaneously celebrates the vision and legacy Mr. Koch leaves in world of fine wine and heralds the successful return of Christie’s Wine auctions to New York City.”
Throughout the sale large-format bottles performed exceptionally well, with outstanding results for Burgundy. Domaine Georges Roumier emerged as a standout, with multiple lots far exceeding their high estimates. The highest price realized from the domaine was the Bonnes Mares 1985 (6 Magnums), which realized $200,000—more than double its high estimate. A further highlight was the Bonnes Mares, Vieilles Vignes 1988 (1 Magnum), which sold for $87,500, nearly ten times its low estimate.
Additional highlights, underscoring the exceptional prices for Burgundy and Bordeaux, include Domaine Leroy, Musigny 1999 (8 Bottles) for $187,500 and Château Latour 1961 (6 Magnums) which gaveled at $187,500.
