Halliday to auction iconic DRC collection

By Mathew Lyons

Published: 01 June, 2020

Legendary Australian wine critic James Halliday is to auction 250 bottles of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti from his private cellar.

The wines are expected to net more than AU$1m, making the auction the biggest of its kind in Australian history.

Stars of the collection include a Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti 1973 and a 1999 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche, each of which is expected to sell for over AU$10,000.

Opening bids on some bottles in the collection begin just under $2,000.

“I have been collecting - and consuming - wine for over 60 years, initially with a focus on Australian wine, then expanding to experience and gradually understand the great wines of the world. I’m looking forward to sharing these incredible wines with other enthusiasts,” Halliday said.

“I’m rising 82. No way am I going to drink them all. I want to share them with people who appreciate what these wines are, what they stand for.”

Tamara Grischy, head of auctions at Langton’s, which is hosting the sale, said: “We are privileged to be selling Australia’s most significant cellar at auction.

 “The wines of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti are the absolute zenith of the wine world, and are in essence magical. The demand vastly exceeds the supply.”

Each bottle comes with a certificate of authenticity from Langton’s, personally signed by James Halliday. The provenance is unimprovable: none of the wines were bought on the open market. They were part of Halliday’s annual allocation direct from the domain. 

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to purchase not only some of the world’s greatest wines, but to get them straight from the private cellar of Australia’s most respected name in wine,” Jeremy Parham, Langton’s general manager, said.

The wines are being sold in single bottle lots. The auction closes on June 28.

Last year, Langton's sold a rare complete 65-bottle run of Penfold's Grange at auction for a record-breaking AU$372,800.

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