New York – Bonhams will offer an impressive single owner collection of top tier Riesling and Burgundy wines curated by a private California musician and songwriter from February 13 – 26. Passionately collecting bottles for over 50 years from Bay Area retailers and occasionally at auction, the collector acquired most of the bottles on offer throughout the 1970's and 80's. The sale will present over 300 lots featuring large-format Domaine de la Romanée-Conti as well as exceptional bottles from other legendary producers such as Domaine Jean-Louis Chave, Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Beerenauslese, J.J. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Trockenbeerenauslese, and Schloss Vollrads Trockenbeerenauslese.

Known for making the rounds in his convertible each weekend to his usual sources throughout the Bay Area, the collector grew his collection by embracing the wines of legendary regions, long before most US consumers recognized their true significance, and seeking out the best of the best that each had to offer. Many of the bottles acquired early in his collecting journey were purchased for just a few hundred dollars and are now expected to fetch thousands. The cost, however, was not what drove this collector – it was the passion behind the crafting of the liquid and the sharing of it with his friends and family, local and far flung.

"Passion is the key to the collector's focus, both in music and wine," commented Marie Keep, Bonhams' Head of Wine and Spirits, Americas. "He began his career as a drummer then found different forms of expression through songwriting and singing. In wine, he followed an internal drive to amass a collection with character and cohesion, and one senses the man behind it – inquisitive, demanding, and generous."

The highlight of the group is a 3L bottle of 1964 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti signed by the co-directors of DRC, Aubert de Villaine and Marcelle 'Lalou' Bize-Leroy (who was also the owner of Domaine d'Auvenay and Domaine Leroy). The double magnum was signed by Villaine and Bize Leroy at a DRC dinner on the West Coast and gifted to the negociant who made the evening possible. The bottle was then sold through Marin Wine Cellar to this collector. It is estimated at $46,000 – 60,000. Additional large format bottles of DRC on offer include a 3L bottle of Romanée Conti from 1971, estimated at $90,000 – 120,000, and a 6L bottle of Richebourg from 1971, estimated at $70,000 – 90,000.

The sale will also offer a historic selection of Germany's most iconic Rieslings with vintages dating back to the 1940s. Renowned for their rarity, remarkable longevity, and masterful balance of sweetness and acidity, these wines showcase the unparalleled depth of Germany's Pradikatswein tradition. Highlights include three bottles of Egon Muller Scharzhofberger TBA from 1976, estimated at $12,000 – 16,000, three bottles of J.J. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr TBA from 1959, estimated at $12,000 – 16,000, and six bottles of Schloss Vollrads TBA from 1959 estimated at $9,500 – 12,000.