Acker, America’s oldest wine merchant and the world’s largest fine wine auction house, will present a distinguished selection of 595 lots led by the private family collection of Lewis Chester DipWSET as a centerpiece of its three-day Birthday Auction, taking place November 19–21. The wider auction will feature more than 3,400 lots, with an aggregate estimate exceeding $20 million. Chester’s collection will go under the hammer on Thursday, November 19, at 3:30pm ET, coinciding with Acker’s BYO “Birthday” Bash & Bidding Party in New York City, which will also celebrate Chairman John Kapon’s 55th birthday.

This selective release from the collection of the London-based collector, writer and co-founder of The Golden Vines highlights exceptional Burgundy and Champagne, alongside a significant range of large formats.

The Collector

Lewis Chester has favored large-format bottles since he began collecting in the late 1990s, so much so that The Daily Telegraph dubbed him “Mr Magnum,” a nickname that has stayed with him ever since. While the wines themselves always come first, he values large formats for their rarity, and particularly the beauty of Burgundy out of big bottles, along with the way Champagne evolves over time in larger sizes.

Chester is Co-Founder and CEO of Liquid Icons, which he established with the late Gérard Basset OBE MW MS, and Co-Founder of The Golden Vines, the awards widely known as the “Oscars of Fine Wine.” He is Honorary President and Head of Fundraising at the Gérard Basset Foundation and Fine Wine & Rare Spirit Editor for Robb Report’s annual Best of the Best publication in the UK and Monaco & Côte d’Azur. He also writes for LUX, holds the WSET Diploma with Merit and is a Chevalier du Tastevin de Bourgogne.

His collection began with Bordeaux en primeur before his palate led him to Champagne and Burgundy, which remain his two great passions. The auction offers a selective, single-digit percentage release from this continuing private family collection.

Separately, Lewis is contributing lots to the Gérard Basset Foundation charity auction at The Golden Vines London, November 6–8. That charity auction is distinct from Acker’s commercial sale.

The Auction Selection

The selection comprises 595 lots, led by Champagne, the largest category by bottle count, and then red and white Burgundy, with nearly 700 bottles in magnum or larger as well as an extensive selection in original packaging. The depth of the offering includes 61 lots of Dom Pérignon, 45 lots of Krug, 19 lots of Leflaive, 13 lots each of Coche-Dury and Armand Rousseau, and 13 lots of Raveneau. Beyond Champagne and Burgundy, the collection spans Bordeaux, the Rhône Valley, Italy and beyond. The collection also features rare special-format bottlings produced by the domaines themselves, alongside exceptional bespoke presentations of singular rarity, created through collaborations between leading domaines and merchants.

“I took a cross-section of the producers that I collect, and the wines from those producers,” says Lewis. “I wanted to show my method and the types of wines that I love, as a testament to my journey as a collector.” That method is deeply personal. “I always visit the estate before I buy any wines, and then I have to like the people and build a connection with them,” he says.

The wines were acquired through producer allocations and leading merchants, and all wines consigned to the auction have been professionally stored in bonded facilities, separately from Lewis’s home cellar. “Provenance is about caring for the wines in the same way in which they were made,” he says, “and ensuring the wines perform at the level that the vigneron intended.”

Lot Highlights

Highlights include two nine-liter bottles of Dal Forno “Prima Serie” Amarone 2012, two of only ten ever made, each with a hand-signed note from Mr. Dal Forno; a vertical of Leflaive’s grand crus in three-liter formats spanning the 2013, 2014 and 2015 vintages; and a multi-vintage assortment of Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne presented in a co-branded wooden case, the only one of its kind in the world.

Beyond these rarities, the white Burgundies are led by d’Auvenay Chevalier-Montrachet 2004 and Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet 2005, Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne 2008 and parcels of Domaine Leroy Corton-Charlemagne 2009. Red Burgundy highlights include Armand Rousseau Chambertin 1999 and 2005, alongside Domaine Bizot Échézeaux 2005. Champagne is led by Dom Pérignon P3 1990 and Krug Clos du Mesnil 2002. Bordeaux standouts include Le Pin 2009 and Pétrus 2005 and 2010. Large formats include three Methuselahs of Clos des Lambrays 2015, Château Palmer 2009 in Melchior and Mouton Rothschild 2018 and 2019 in Imperial.

“Even though they might not know me personally, they’ll get to know me through those bottles,” Lewis says.

John Kapon remarked, “I have long known about Lewis’s collection and his contribution to the fine wine world through The Golden Vines, so I was ecstatic when the possibility arose for us to work together. The Magnum Man is as detailed and precise a collector as I have ever met, and those qualities have helped build one of the UK’s greatest collections, of which we are getting a tasty and important bite in the upcoming Birthday Auction. The offering is the cornerstone of the sale, and I cannot thank Lewis enough for the opportunity to work with him and his esteemed cellar.”

Sale Details

Acker’s three-day Birthday Auction runs November 19–21, 2026. From the Cellar of Lewis Chester DipWSET will kick off the 3:30pm ET session on Thursday, November 19.

Register to Bid & Catalog: https://www.ackerwines.com/the-birthday-auction-2026/

The session will be livestreamed at Riverpark in New York City, where a pre-auction tasting will be followed by a four-course dinner served during the auction, with wines from Lewis Chester’s personal cellar poured throughout the evening. Collectors worldwide can bid online in real time at ackerwines.com.

About Acker

Acker is America’s oldest wine merchant and the world’s largest fine wine auction house. With auctions, retail and client services across the United States, Europe and Asia, Acker is The World’s Destination for Fine & Rare Wine™.

Interviews with Lewis Chester, collector photography, and a short film are available on request.

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