Bill Koch to auction 20,000 bottles

[CFu]

That cellar is so epic. I want to live in it for a week. Also consume all the trophies in that week.

[jcoley3]

@John Morris

Yes, it’s David and Charles that are the big conservative donors, not Bill.

IIRC, Bill is estranged from those brothers. With legal wrangles, etc.

[Chris_Blum]

@Anton D

Dang, he could have gone with Dragon 8 and become King of America!

[Anton_D]

@John Morris

@Anton D

I know he is a political hot potato, but as a fellow wino, I bet he would be a hoot and a half to get to drink with.

From what I’ve heard, probably not. He threatened to sue Ben Wallace over The Billionaire’s Vinegar, even though he (Koch) was kind of a hero in there.

Wow, someone who could take the joy out of wine.

Now I wonder what he’d be like at a group tasting.

We’d likely have to depend on Charlie Fu, Francois, and Jonathan Favre for that level of tasting.

[David_K_o_l_i_n]

As I recall, our former contributor Mr Manlin had dinner with him in West Palm and enjoyed it. But that was Manlin

[Stuart_BeauneHead_Niemtzow]

@jcoley3

@John Morris

Yes, it’s David and Charles that are the big conservative donors, not Bill.

IIRC, Bill is estranged from those brothers. With legal wrangles, etc.

For a LONG time, too…

I have no idea how he thinks.

Not that it much matters.

[S_Stevenson]

@John Morris

… through Sotheby’s, not Christie’s or Acker or Spectrum:

Bloomberg - Are you a robot?

Wonder how many are fake.

[John_Morris]

@S. Stevenson

@John Morris

… through Sotheby’s, not Christie’s or Acker or Spectrum:

Bloomberg - Are you a robot?

Wonder how many are fake.

Since he hired experts and sued everyone he could who sold him fakes, I would guess this is the best vetted cellar around.

[Francois_Audouze]

John,
even if what you say makes sense, I do not like so much the capsules of the Mouton 1945 shown on the picture of the article of Sotheby’s.
Color and the way it sticks to the glass do not give me a good impression.


But I suppose that all that has been examined.

[Mike_DiSalvo]

Probably indicative of a near term market top for the ultra premium wine market.

[Paul_Jaouen]

Sotheby’s has to be thrilled.

[Soren_R_Nielsen]

And the superb fill levels of the two 1945 in front…70 years old.
I also don’t like the pristine looking Romanee Conti 1959 dmg. with serial number 04083. 9627 bottles was made.
The wood box has a for Me a strange looking Black print, and not the branding-iron burned brown !
I recall a stencil (La Tache) with spray paint marks from Rudys lab.(FBI photos)

Maybe I’m seeing ghosts, but I get suspicious when I see holy artefacts offered in these excellent conditions.

I am looking forward to seeing the full catalogue.

Regards, Soren

[Scott_Butler]

Do you think these wines are labeled GMO free?

[John_Morris]

@François Audouze

John,
even if what you say makes sense, I do not like so much the capsules of the Mouton 1945 shown on the picture of the article of Sotheby’s.
Color and the way it sticks to the glass do not give me a good impression.

But I suppose that all that has been examined.

@Soren R Nielsen

And the superb fill levels of the two 1945 in front…70 years old.
I also don’t like the pristine looking Romanee Conti 1959 dmg. with serial number 04083. 9627 bottles was made.
The wood box has a for Me a strange looking Black print, and not the branding-iron burned brown !
I recall a stencil (La Tache) with spray paint marks from Rudys lab.(FBI photos)

Maybe I’m seeing ghosts, but I get suspicious when I see holy artefacts offered in these excellent conditions.

I am looking forward to seeing the full catalogue.

Well, it would be ironic in the extreme if Bill Koch were caught auctioning fake wines.

But s I recall, he hired experts to comb through his entire collection and he sued the source of all the (many) fakes that turned up. He was so obsessed with nailing anyone involved involved in the fakery, that I’d be surprised if he had suspicious bottles left. Moreover, he knows that any sale like this now – and any sale of his – will be intensely scrutinized.

The other relevant thing is that Sotheby’s was never implicated in the sale of fake wines as Acker was (with Rudy) and Christie’s (with Hardy Rodenstock). As I recall, Sotheby’s rejected many wines that other houses happily sold.

If Koch had fakes, he would be much better off to turn to the Hong Kong market, where the vetting seems rather lax, judging by Don Cornwell’s various postings.

[David_Bu3ker]

Could the '45 Mouton have been recorked at some point?

[Darren_Leininger]

Hey! That’s cool! The original oil on canvass “Wine Mistress” at the 1:55 mark of the Southeby’s video is a Mel Ramos. Mel is my father in-law. Thread drift, but too cool not to mention.

All Videos | Art & Auction Articles, Videos and Slideshows | Sotheby's

[Bill_Tex_Landreth]

@David K o l i n

As I recall, our former contributor Mr Manlin had dinner with him in West Palm and enjoyed it. But that was Manlin

I have had dinner with Manlin. Enough said.

[Ian_Dorin]

@John Morris

… through Sotheby’s, not Christie’s or Acker or Spectrum:

Bloomberg - Are you a robot?

I bet he’s also got non-wine property to sell.

@Paul Jaouen

Sotheby’s has to be thrilled.

Maybe. If Koch got a sweetheart deal, there will be a lot of pressure on Sotheby’s to sell at top dollar.

[Robert_Pollard-Smith]

@Ian Dorin

I bet he’s also got non-wine property to sell.

Yup, and the price has been reduced recently, to $80,000,000.

[Mel_Hill]

@David K o l i n

As I recall, our former contributor Mr Manlin had dinner with him in West Palm and enjoyed it. But that was Manlin

Yep, pretty sure SM had a dinner or two with wines from his cellar