HDH to auction off fallen oil man’s collection

The wine cellar of the late Aubrey McClendon, during his lifetime one of the biggest wine collectors in the US as well as one of its foremost oil businessmen who fell from grace when charged with price fixing, is to be sold by Hart Davis Hart this September.

Aubrey McClendon

The collection, covering 4,600 bottles divided into 1,058 lots and valued at US$7.6 million, features a number of great Bordeaux and Napa labels from all of the best known estates and is marked by the number of large format bottles which McClendon was such a fan of.

McClendon was one of America’s leading oil businessmen, known for his tenure as the CEO of Chesapeake Energy and as a proponent of fracking. He was forced out in 2013 with his personal finances in disarray and with a federal investigation for bid-rigging hanging over him.

In March of this year, just one day after a federal grand jury filed its charges against him, his SUV crashed into a concrete embankment on a highway outside Oklahoma City and burst into flames. McClendon was killed outright. In June of this year police said they still had no clear evidence if the accident was a suicide or not.

As well as his for his business and sports-related dealings (he was part of a group that brought NBA franchise the Seattle SuperSonics to Oklahoma where they now play as the Oklahoma City Thunder), McClendon was a serious wine collector as well.

HDH said of McClendon and his collection: “Mr. McClendon was a constant presence in the wine auction world; there was a time when it was no exaggeration to say that he was the most important wine buyer in America. He took great pleasure in sharing his wines with family and friends, a fact reflected in the vast array of large format bottles included in his collection ranging from magnums to 18 liter Melchiors. His philosophy was, the larger the bottle the better for sharing.

“He took great care in the procurement and storage of his collection. A majority of the wines were purchased on release and all have been stored in pristine, custom-built cellars.”

The claret section comprises the bulk of the sale is described as “truly extraordinary”, spanning 24 vintages and with the wines from the 2000 vintage alone estimated at $1-$1.6m.

There are some 80 lots of Petrus, 46 of Le Pin and 558 from the first growths alone. Particular highlights include three double magnums of 1990 Le Pin ($14,000-$20,000 each), a five-litre Jeroboam of 1989 Haut-Brion ($12,000-$18,000) and an imperial of 2005 Petrus ($26,000-38,000).

Napa Cabernets are also much in evidence, especially Screaming Eagle (including three bottles of the ’97) and Harlan Estate.

A “small” quantity of Rhône and white Burgundy will also be offered.

HDH said, “this is the last time that wines from this great cellar will ever be auctioned, and nothing like it will ever be seen again.” Proceeds will go to McClendon’s family with several US news outlets speculating the collection is being sold to, at least in part, pay off his considerable debts.

Advance bidding for the sale opens today (25 August) and the sale itself will take place on 17 September in Chicago.