Billionaire Bill Koch to Sell $15M Collection in ‘Landmark’ Auction

Billionaire William I. Koch, one of America’s most prolific—and most litigious—wine collectors, will auction off 1,500 lots from his prized cellar next month in what Christie’s calls a “once-in-a-generation” sale expected to fetch US$15 million.

Titled “The Cellar of William I. Koch: The Great American Collector,” the three-day live auction will be held from June 12 to 14 at Christie’s Rockefeller Center in New York. The sale will feature an extraordinary array of wines, including over 750 large-format bottles from some of the world’s most iconic producers such as Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Pétrus, Château Mouton Rothschild, and Lafite.

Koch, 85, an industrialist and the youngest brother of the Koch Industries dynasty, has spent decades amassing a vast and celebrated collection that spans from fine art to rare wines. His passion for wine began in the 1960s and grew to include historic vintages and elusive formats. The upcoming sale follows a landmark 2016 auction in which Koch sold more than 20,000 bottles for US$21.9 million.

He is also famously litigious against wine fraud. After purchasing counterfeit bottles from Silicon Valley entrepreneur Eric Greenberg, wine retailer Acker Merrall & Condit, Rodenstock and Rudy Kurniawan, Koch reportedly spent over US$35 million pursuing a crusade against fake wines.

In 2013, Koch won a US$12 million judgment against Greenberg after a Manhattan jury found the seller had knowingly offloaded fake bottles. That amount was later reduced to under US$1 million. He also filed one of the earliest lawsuits against Acker Merrall & Condit, claiming the retailer sold him 216 counterfeit bottles largely attributed to convicted wine forger Rudy Kurniawan at auction in 2005 and 2006.

The wines offered in the June auction are drawn from Koch’s storied cellars in Palm Beach, Cape Cod, and Aspen. Christie’s describes the selection as a “never-to-be-seen-again” lineup of historic vintages from the most revered names in wine.

Bordeaux and Burgundy dominate the catalogue, alongside coveted selections from Champagne, the Rhône Valley, Italy, and the New World. A standout feature of the sale will be more than 750 large-format bottles, including over 45 Jeroboams and Methuselahs of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.

“I collect things that celebrate the love of my family and friends and remind me of significant and special times in our lives,” said Koch. “My hope is that at this wine sale you will find something that speaks to your passion and that you are able to share it with the people you love.”

“Mr. Koch is truly a one-of-a-kind icon in the world of wine, whose influence on the story of fine wine collecting is both profound and enduring,” said Adam Bilbey, Christie’s Global Head of Wine & Spirits. “Mr. Koch collected during an era when, with passion, foresight and means, it was still possible to acquire significant quantities of the world’s most historic and collectible wines.”