The Scholarly Cellar of Dr. Gordon Ku

More than 850 lots of wine collected over 50 years by Dr. Gordon Ku will be on offer in this Sotheby’s auction. The Singaporean kidney specialist began saving bottles of wine for rainy days in the 1970s while studying to be a physician in London. Over the years, he enjoyed building his collection and sharing it with friends and family. “Some of our earliest and fondest memories,” his children remember, “involve large and boisterous family meals, with the adults sipping wine.”

Featured in the event is a 1990 bottle of Romanée Conti. Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate notes that while wines from the Romanée Conti vineyard normally have a less pronounced color than the nearby La Tâche, this vintage is more saturated. “The nose offers up sweet, clove, cinnamon, and blackberry aromas intermingled with toasty, smoky new oak,” says the publication. Collectors of Romanée Conti wines can also consider a twelve-bottle assortment of 2005 vintages from the estate. This includes one bottle each of Romanée Conti and Montrachet, and two bottles of La Tâche, among others.

Twelve bottles of Petrus 2000 are also available. The Bordeaux estate produces only red wine and no secondary varieties. Wine Spectator notes the vintage’s density, calling it “a pretty jam-packed core of blackberry, plum and boysenberry confiture notes.” Those interested in this or any other lots can read more in Auction Daily’s continued coverage and register to bid on the Sotheby’s website.