DALLAS, TX.- Serious wine collectors know that a great cellar is defined not simply by individual trophy bottles, but by depth: the opportunity to follow an estate across vintages, trace the evolution of a legendary producer and experience extraordinary wines at different stages of maturity.
Heritage Auctions’ September 25 Fine & Rare Wine Signature Auction offers that opportunity on a remarkable scale. The 660-lot event brings together exceptional depth from California and the Old World, including 26 vintages of Dominus, 52 lots of Harlan Estate, 24 lots of Scarecrow and 41 lots from Screaming Eagle. Bordeaux collectors will find equally impressive verticals, including 18 vintages of Chteau Petrus and 23 vintages of Chteau Mouton Rothschild.
“This is the kind of depth that serious wine collectors rarely encounter in a single auction,” says Frank Martell, Senior Director of Fine & Rare Wine at Heritage Auctions. “Having one great vintage from a legendary producer is exciting. Having the opportunity to explore that producer across decades is something else entirely. This auction gives collectors the ability to compare vintages, fill meaningful gaps in an existing cellar or begin building a vertical with real substance.”
At the heart of the auction is the remarkable collection of Dr. John Santrock, a prominent developmental psychologist, longtime professor and former psychology department head at the University of Texas at Dallas, and one of the world’s most widely read authors in his field. Over the course of his distinguished career, Santrock wrote more than 100 textbooks, with editions published around the globe.
But his interests extended well beyond academia. Santrock was a gifted tennis player and artist, a passionate traveler and restaurant enthusiast and, as his cellar makes abundantly clear, a deeply committed wine collector.
The Dr. John Santrock Collection comprises 247 lots valued at more than $700,000, assembled with the same curiosity and discernment that characterized so many aspects of his life. Its breadth reflects a collector who appreciated the world’s great estates, while its depth demonstrates the patience and knowledge required to build a serious collection over time.
“Dr. Santrock understood the difference between simply acquiring important bottles and building a cellar,” Martell says. “It is a wonderfully personal collection, but also a formidable one.”
Among the highlights in the Dr. John Santrock Collection:
• Chateau Haut Brion 1989 Pessac-Leognan Bottle (10)
• Chateau Cheval Blanc 1982 St. Emilion Bottle (10)
• Chateau Latour 1982 Pauillac Bottle (7)
• Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1996 Pauillac Bottle (12)
• Chateau Latour 1990 Pauillac Bottle (12)
• Chateau La Mission Haut Brion 1989 Pessac-Leognan Bottle (7)
• Chateau Margaux 1996 Margaux Bottle (12)
• Harlan Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 1990 Bottle (5)
• Harlan Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 1994 Bottle (5)
• Harlan Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 1994 Magnum (2)
California is particularly well represented throughout the September auction, with a deep roster of blue-chip and cult producers. Dominus appears across 26 vintages, providing collectors with a sweeping look at Christian Moueix’s celebrated Napa Valley estate. Harlan Estate is represented by 52 lots, while 41 lots of Screaming Eagle and 24 lots of Scarecrow further demonstrate the remarkable strength of the California offering.
“California is unquestionably one of the great strengths of this auction,” Martell says. “We’re not talking about a few headline bottles scattered through the catalog. There is genuine depth across the producers that have helped define modern California wine. For someone who collects Napa seriously, the breadth of opportunity here is exceptional.”
The Old World provides plenty of competition: cases of Bordeaux First Growths, several bottles of 1945 Mouton Rothschild, a plethora of Petrus and a wealth of other trophy-worthy bottles. Just as important, throughout the catalog, there are compelling opportunities for collectors looking for mature wines to drink rather than trophies to admire.
“It’s relatively uncommon to see this many vintages of Petrus and Mouton represented alongside such deep California offerings,” Martell says. “The catalog gives you an opportunity to move between some of the greatest estates of Bordeaux and the producers that established Napa Valley at the highest level of international collecting. That makes for a fascinating auction.”
Taken together, the auction reflects the many ways a wine collection can take shape. It’s serious enough for the trophy hunter, broad enough for the enthusiast and filled with wines that deserve to be opened and shared.
Other top lots include:
• Sassicaia 1985 Tenuta San Guido Bottle (2)
• Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon 1992 Bottle (3)
• Chateau Petrus 1990 Pomerol Bottle (7)
• Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1945 Pauillac Bottle (1)
• Clos de la Roche 1988 Domaine Dujac Bottle (6)
• Chateau Petrus 1982 Pomerol Bottle (3)
• Chateau Margaux 1990 Margaux Bottle (12)
• Chateau Petrus 2016 Pomerol Bottle (3)
• Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1986 Pauillac Bottle (12)
• Harlan Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 Bottle (6)
• Harlan Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Bottle (6)
• Sine Qua Non White 1995 The Bride Bottle (4)
• Realm Cellars Red 2021 The Absurd Bottle (12)
