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The Historic Cellar of Jürgen Schwarz: Five Decades of Collecting, Day I

Sale Overview

Spanning more than 50 years of passionate connoisseurship, The Historic Cellar of Jürgen Schwarz: Five Decades of Collecting celebrates a remarkable journey of taste, stewardship and legacy. This single-owner sale marks a full-circle moment: from the collector’s very first purchase with us in 1987 — an 1858 Château Latour — to this two-day live auction at Christie’s New York. Carefully curated across five decades, the cellar offers an extraordinary selection of the world’s finest bottles, from Bordeaux to Burgundy and beyond. Its oldest treasure, a Very Old Canary, Blair Castle 1740, predates Christie's itself — a fitting emblem of history and an enduring partnership.

SALE HIGHLIGHTS, DAY I

BORDEAUX

Lafite Rothschild

Latour

Margaux

Mouton Rothschild

Haut Brion

La Mission Haut Brion

Cheval Blanc

Le Pin

Petrus

Lafleur

RHÔNE

Guigal

J-L Chave

Paul Jaboulet Aîné

Château de Beaucastel

Henri Bonneau

CHAMPAGNE

Dom Pérignon

Krug

Louis Roederer

Jacques Selosse

Auction times

05 Dec 10:00 AM (EST) Lots 1-356

Our specialist’s selection

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.

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.

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.

Jeremy Dalton

Cataloguer | Wine & Spirits

Jeremy Dalton is a Cataloguer in New York supporting a growing bi-costal wine team. He joined Christies in January 2022. Prior to Joining Christie’s, he was a Post-Sale Coordinator at another international auction house and has worked in California participating in grape harvest and winemaking. He has also spent time as a Farming Apprentice on an organic farm in the Hamptons. Jeremy holds a B.S. in Communications & Theater Productions from Northwestern University with a focus in Theatrical Design and is an amateur photographer. Jeremy’s favorite wine is Tokaji from Hungary and Carménère from Chile.