The Grand Cru Cellar: A Connoisseur's Selection of Rarities

Sale Overview

Christie’s Wine & Spirits Department in the Americas is delighted to present our next single owner sale The Grand Cru Cellar: A Connoisseur’s Selection of Rarities. The sale will presented online opening on June 30 and will close on July 13. The sale represents a curated selection of rarities from the cellar of one of Christie’s long-standing clients, a client who has meticulously assembled one of America’s great wine collections. The list of lots is truly outstanding featuring rare Bordeaux including large formats of Lafite-Rothschild 1959 and 1961 and magnums of the magnificent Petrus 1989. The selection of Burgundy both red and white is truly stellar, featuring rare bottles from the Domaine including La Tâche 1990, Dujac from the 1990 and 1978 vintages, and rarities from Rousseau and Roumier. The whites feature multiple vintages of Montrachet from Ramonet, rare bottles from Coche-Dury and Domaine Leflaive. Rhône and Italy are also featured with some lovely, rare magnums from Giacomo Conterno and 1990, 1991 Cuvée Cathelin from Chave. Superb bottles with detailed provenance presented online in New York.

Auction times

30 Jun 10:00 AM (EDT)

Brought to you by

Chris Munro

Vice President, Head of Department | Wine & Spirits

Returning to Christie’s in 2004 Chris Munro led the London team until his recent move to Head of Wine Department for the Americas in May 2018. Under his watch in London, the department hosted a number of winery direct sales from many major Bordeaux Chateaux and highly regarded Burgundian Domaines. Major highlights from his tenure in London included the historic cellar of John Avery, The Superb Private Collection of Sir Alex Ferguson and London’s largest ever multi-vendor sale ( 4.5 million GBP ) held in December 2013. Chris’s knowledge of the auction market and his experience of the fine wine market will enable him to strengthen Christie’s service to its wine buyers and sellers across America.

Christopher Weed

Associate Vice President, Specialist | Wine & Spirits

Christopher A. Weed joined Christie’s in 2024. In the wine trade since 2010, Christopher had previously served as Director of Operations at a leading fine and rare wine auction house in California for over 10 years. Over the course of his auction career, Christopher has overseen the sale of numerous noteworthy collections, including those of The Doctor’s Vertical Cellar, The Cellar of Teresa Norton & Tom Paine, The Marin Cellar, the Bijou Cellar, The Zenith Cellar, The Cellar of an Acclaimed Winemaker, and many more. With additional experience in fine dining, wine storage, and retail and en primeur, Christopher excels in building lasting relationships with collectors as well as in sharing his passion for extraordinary wines. Christopher holds a degree in International Relations and International Economics from Franklin University Switzerland, is a Certified Sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers, and is recognized as a French Wine Scholar by the Wine Scholar Guild.

Paul Tortora

VP, International Director, Wine | Wine & Spirits

Paul Tortora joined Christie’s in 2023 as International Director in the Wine & Spirits Department, based in New York, bringing nearly two decades of experience working in the fine wine trade. At Christie’s, Paul advises major collectors and spearheads a number of strategic initiatives and special projects alongside the global head and regional leadership to drive sales and business across venues. Before joining Christie’s, Paul worked at another international auction house, where he led the Wine Department in North America, overseeing sales and key clients. Prior to auction, Paul worked closely with the founder of a leading American importer and retailer of classic European wines. Paul received a B.A. from Wesleyan University, where he majored in letters.

Peter Rusinak

Associate Vice President, Specialist | Wine & Spirits

Mr. Rusinak joined Christie’s New York Wine Department in 2018. Prior to Christie's, Mr. Rusinak worked in the Hospitality industry after graduating Summa Cum Laude from Fairleigh Dickinson University with a Masters degree in Hospitality Management. Mr. Rusinak then pursued his thesis and passion for the study of wine and spent the last seven years working in the wine industry. Mr. Rusinak specializes in wine inventory and inspection; his professional interests include fine Champagnes and wines of Tuscany.

Kyle Henry

Junior Wine Specialist | Wine & Spirits

Beginning in 2026, Kyle Henry comes from a background in custom-crush winemaking, inventory management, and purchasing, for both small fine-dining establishments and large retail operations. Working with sommeliers and winemakers alike, he has leveraged data-driven approaches to build his practical skills both on the floor assisting sommeliers, and in the back office, selecting wines for restaurant and retail listings. An SWE Certified Wine Specialist, Kyle graduated from Rutgers with a B.S. in Economics.

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