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Liquid Icons boss Lewis Chester brings ‘world-class collection’ to auction
Lewis Chester, CEO of Liquid Icons and founder of the Golden Vines Awards, is bringing a selection of wines from his private cellar to auction via Sotheby’s, with an estimated combined value in excess of £1 million.
The single-owner collection, called The Cellar of Lewis Chester | The Inaugural Selection | No Reserve, is kicking off the Sotheby’s summer auction wine series.
The auction house has described the sale as consisting of “a fraction of one of Europe’s most extensive and comprehensive cellars”, with an estimated combined value of more than £1 million.
Chester, who set up Liquid Icons with late friend Gerard Basset in 2014, began his collection buying Bordeaux En Primeur, before moving on to Burgundy and Champagne, the Golden Vines Awards founder said.
“I had been collecting the top wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Tuscany and Piedmont for a number of years, but now my interests extended to California, Australia, the Rhône Valley, the Loire Valley, the Alsace and the Mosel Valley. I had also studied and experienced the ageing benefits of large formats, particularly for sparkling wine,” Chester explained of his collection.
He added: “I own some incredible wines in large quantities, making perfect sense to let some of these available for other fine wine lovers to enjoy.”
The 776-lot sale includes individual estimates as a guide. On offer are 251 lots of Burgundy, covering Domaines including Rousseau, Dujac, Roumier, de Vogüé, Leflaive, Raveneau and Dauvissat. More accessible but high quality Domaines such as Rossignol-Trapet, Lignier-Michelot and Follin-Arbelet are also on offer.
Turning to Champagne, the sale boasts 91 lots of Krug and Dom Perignon from the very rare Clos of d’Ambonnay and du Mesnil to P3 vintages and large formats. A further 70 lots encompass the finest cuvées of Vilmart, Philipponnat and Pol Roger, among others.
The selection also features a selection of wines from Bordeaux, with First Growths Lafite, Latour, and Margaux plus Haut-Brion Blanc representing the Left Bank, with the Right Bank supplying double-magnums of Le Pin and magnums of Lafleur, described as extremely rare by Sotheby’s.
The Liquid Icons CEO’s auction collection also includes a comprehensive offering from the Rhône, as well as a selection of Nebbiolo wines from Barolo and Barbaresco.
Fine Wine from the Loire and Mosel valleys, Tuscany, Switzerland, and Santa Cruz Mountains, with Clos Rougeard, Markus Molitor, Sassicaia, Gantenbein, and Ridge Vineyards are also on offer as part of the inaugural auction.
Gary Owen, head of auction sales, UK, Sotheby’s Wine, said: “The extraordinary quality of the wines on offer in this No Reserve auction will undoubtedly appeal to both new and seasoned collectors, with the no reserve aspect adding an exciting new dimension to the sale. It has been a complete privilege for the Sotheby’s Wine team to work with Lewis in bringing this inaugural selection of wines from his personal cellar to auction; we cannot wait for fellow wine lovers to glimpse through this vinous window into his world-class collection.”
Bidding opens on 18 May. The online-only auction of The Cellar of Lewis Chester | The Inaugural Selection | No Reserve will close for bidding on 1 June at 10am BST.
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