Wine Collection Sells For Record $28.8 Million

Bill Koch doesn’t mess around when it comes to wine. At its peak, the billionaire’s Palm Beach wine cellar held 43,000 bottles which includes some of the rarest wines in the world. As a chemical engineer who made his fortune in the energy sector, Bill became obsessed with the science of wine when he started collecting in the 1970s, preferring large format bottles for their aging capacity and developing a large cellar with precise climate controls and security to maintain quality.

That’s why the entire world went nuts when he decided to sell 8,000 precious bottles this past month, partnering with Christie’s auction house to do so.

“I always approached my wine collection as a communal experience,” Bill told Wine Spectator in a 1-1 interview with the collector. “I never collected to hold these wines as if they were an investment. I wanted to serve them with great food and company. Do the math—there is no possible way that I can consume all 20,000 plus bottles in my cellar. It is time to give others the opportunity to enjoy them. I feel as if I am acting as a matchmaker of sorts.”

Choosing Christie’s to manage the sale was an interesting decision. Not so long ago, the famed auction house sold him counterfeit bottles supposedly belonging to Thomas Jefferson. “I do have a history with Christie’s, but I am confident that the old guard is gone and it’s a new world,” Bill said in the recent interview. “They have earned my trust. I believe in second chances. I’ve had many in my career and Christie’s earned the same courtesy.”

Christie’s did well on their promises, breaking the record for largest single-owner wine collection ever sold in North America (doubling their minimum estimate of $15 million). The showstopping highlights included a Methuselah (6-liter) of 1999 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti which sold for $275,000, six magnums of Domaine Georges Roumier Bonnes Mares 1985 taking a $200,000 win, and 12 magnums of Château Latour 1961 that went for a total of $375,000. Plus, the legendary Mouton Rothschild 1945 made an appearance with 11 bottles selling for a total of $275,000.

Bill might be sad to part with a fleet of iconic names, but there’s a lot of happy people out there who will enjoy these liquid treasures cared for by a passionate collector.