New York - Christie’s New York Wine Department is delighted to announce the single owner sale The Benjamin Ichinose Collection of Fine and Rare Wines, taking place Online from July 16-31.

The auction contains 626 lots representing the world’s best wines and spirits from the cellar of the celebrated collector and connoisseur. The Benjamin Ichinose Collection of Fine and Rare Wines was assembled with passion and knowledge over his lifetime. A collection built during the 1960’s and 1970’s, a different world for the wine enthusiast. It offers a glimpse to the golden age of wine collecting, when it was about enjoying the bottle and sharing fond treasures with others. Throughout his life, Dr. Ichinose established meaningful friendships with producers and experts including Michael Broadbent MW, Christian Moueix, Alexandre de Lur-Saluces, Robert Mondavi, and Harry Waugh.

The breadth of the collection spans the finest wines ever produced in Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Mosel. Rare Port and Madeira are presented alongside the greatest assemblage of mature Californian wines ever to appear at auction. Provenance is impeccable, with many wines purchased directly from auctions, the producers or through respected importers  Esquin Imports, Alexis Lichine and George Linton. Additionally, the cellar includes the esteemed vintages of 1929, the year Dr. Ichinose and his wife were born, and 1961, 1964 and 1965, the birth dates of their children.

Taught by Jim Guymon, a professor of oenology at UC Davis, that storage was vital for the preservation of older wines, the Ichinose cellar maintained a disciplined regimen. The main cellar for red wines was kept at a constant 52 degrees and for whites at 48 degrees. Due to this optimum facility, bottles remain in impeccable condition, levels in most cases of top-shoulder or better, all with good clarity and colors.

Chris Munro, Head of Department, Americas Fine Wine & Spirits, remarks, “This collection represents one of those rare opportunities to acquire great wines from an impeccable source. Well cellared, bought with strict guidance from importers and producers from a hugely knowledgeable and loved collector. Auctions like this do not happen often – any serious wine collector should grab the chance to purchase from this outstanding and unique collection. We are delighted to present this incredible cellar in an Online format, it will showcase the collection to the broadest possible global audience as witnessed with the unprecedented engagement in our online sale earlier this year.”