Rare Wine Collection With Petrus, Screaming Eagle and 1945 Mouton Heads to Heritage Auctions

Heritage Auctions is bringing more than 600 lots of fine and rare wine to auction later this month, with a collection built over decades providing the heart of the sale. The September 25 Fine & Rare Wine Signature Auction includes 660 lots ranging from some of California’s best-known producers to deep runs of Bordeaux. Among the names represented are Dominus, Harlan Estate, Screaming Eagle, Scarecrow, Petrus and Château Mouton Rothschild.

Rather than being built around only a handful of headline bottles, the auction stands out for the number of vintages available from individual producers. Collectors will find 26 vintages of Dominus, 52 lots of Harlan Estate, 41 lots from Screaming Eagle and 24 lots of Scarecrow. On the Bordeaux side, Heritage is offering 18 vintages of Petrus and 23 vintages of Mouton Rothschild.

The largest single group in the auction comes from the collection of Dr. John Santrock, a developmental psychologist, professor and author who spent years assembling a serious wine cellar alongside his academic career. The Dr. John Santrock Collection includes 247 lots valued by Heritage at more than $700,000. Heritage describes it as a personal collection built with both breadth and patience, with important bottles from California and Europe rather than a group assembled simply around investment value.

Among the highlights are 10 bottles of 1989 Château Haut-Brion, 10 bottles of 1982 Château Cheval Blanc, seven bottles of 1982 Château Latour and a full 12-bottle offering of 1996 Château Lafite Rothschild. The Santrock cellar also includes 12 bottles of 1990 Château Latour, 12 bottles of 1996 Château Margaux and multiple offerings from Harlan Estate.

Outside the Santrock collection, several individual lots should draw plenty of attention. A bottle of 1945 Château Mouton Rothschild is among the standouts, along with seven bottles of 1990 Petrus and three bottles of 1982 Petrus. The California side includes three bottles of 1992 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon, six bottles each of Harlan Estate Cabernet Sauvignon from 2007 and 2013, and other sought-after Napa releases.

There are also two bottles of 1985 Sassicaia, six bottles of 1988 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche and four bottles of Sine Qua Non’s 1995 The Bride.

For wine collectors, provenance and storage history are often just as important as the label itself, which makes the appearance of a long-established private cellar especially notable. Heritage’s emphasis on the Santrock collection also gives the sale a different character from an auction built from unrelated individual consignments.

“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.”

Heritage’s Fine & Rare Wine Signature Auction takes place September 25.