International epicurean, businessman and entrepreneur, Pierre Chen is a devotee of all things delicious and exquisite, as his extensive, carefully selected wine cellar proves.
Originally from Taiwan, Chen founded Yageo Corporation, a highly successful global electronic component company in 1977, enabling Chen to pursue his gastronomic passions.
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Chen firmly believes wine is there to be enjoyed, not left to languish, forgotten, in a cellar. With a collection that is now simply too vast for one person, Chen has partnered with Sotheby's to launch The Epicurean's Atlas series of auctions and its associated events, set to garner $50 million. The five auctions will take place around the world, with 25,000 bottles hand-picked from Chen's pristine cellar.
The first sale will be held in Hong Kong later this month, with successive auctions following; in the wine heartlands of France, Beaune, in Paris and New York, before circling back to Hong Kong for the grand finale in November 2024.
The first auction – The Encyclopaedic Cellar – will take place between November 23-25, in Hong Kong's Mandarin Oriental hotel. It will serve as a thrilling insight into the sheer depth and scope of the vast collection on offer.
The second, Live in the Vines, will take place in July 2024, in Beaune, followed by The Ultimate Champagnes, in Paris shortly thereafter.
September will see Around the Globe in New York, before the series climaxes with the aptly-named The Zenith – which will take place in Hong Kong, during November 2024.
Each auction will have a specific focus – whether it's Champagne or international treasures, organizing Chen's collection into carefully curated themes.
The Encyclopaedic Cellar
The first auction of the series is taking place at Hong Kong's Mandarin Oriental hotel and will be complemented with food from some of the city's showstopping restaurants.
The three Michelin-starred 8½ Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA – known for its mastery of the white truffle and for being the only Italian establishment outside Italy to have received such eminent recognition from Michelin – and the two-Michelin-starred Arbor, known for its nuanced celebration of nature, will both be catering at the occasion.
And naturally, each dish will be paired with an equally superb wine. Sotheby's will be hosting a series of panel discussions to further delve into a particular passion of Pierre Chen's – the magical art of pairing fine wines and gourmet foods.
The Encyclopaedic Cellar is set to be a showcase of some of the most sought-after and rare bottles from France's Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and Rhône Valley regions, as well as some of the most illustrious names to come out of Spain and Italy. As Chen has always prioritized quality over quantity, the result is a finely curated encyclopedia of some of the world's best wine bottles.
From Henri Jayer to Château Latour, the greats of the wine world pepper the listings, often in rare large-format bottles including magnums, jeroboams and occasionally methuselahs.
Amongst the red Burgundies, particular stand-outs include two 1985 methuselahs, a single 1999 methuselah and a three-liter 1971 jeroboam from Domaine de la Romaneé-Conti's La Tâche monopole. A rare beast, the methuselah is the largest format Burgundy allows.
Other heavyweights include two bottles of 1991 Domaine Leroy Musigny and two 1985 magnums of Domaine Armand Rousseau Chambertin. Six magnums of 2001 Henri Jayer Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux 1er Cru are also up for auction – the very last official Cros Parantoux that Jayer, known as the Godfather of Burgundy – made before his 2001 retirement.
For white Burgundies, there are several listings for 2014 Domaine d'Auvenay Bâtard-Montrachet and 1999 Domaine Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne, one of the region's greats.
The listings for Bordeaux begin with a magnum of 1961 Château Latour, often considered the greatest vintage since World War II, and two magnums of 1959 Château Lafite Rothschild up for grabs.
The Right Bank lots are equally impressive, with six bottles of 1947 Château Cheval Blanc – a legendary vintage – alongside a 1982, six-liter imperial of Petrus.
For connoisseurs of Champagne, a constellation of superb wines will be on offer, with six rare magnums of 1988 Dom Pérignon Rosé P3, three bottles of 1973 Krug Collection and three magnums of 1971 Salon le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs. The Salon le Mesnil is particularly rare, as the estate typically only produces three vintages a decade.
Rounding off this exquisite selection is a series of wines that bear Chen's own personal touch, with five magnums of Domaine Faiveley Musigny Grand Cru, ranging from between 2015 and 2019.
These wines come from Chen's own personal parcel of land, which he purchased in 2015, having long held a desire to do so. The farming and management of the plots are coordinated in partnership with the Faiveley family, with Chen's allocation produced exclusively in magnums.
A born connoisseur
From the get-go, Chen's background in Taiwan challenged tradition. In a nation that favors whisky as the default drink of choice, Chen's own parents were distinct in their exploring the world of wine, kickstarting for Chen, what would become a lifelong pursuit.
He made wine at home with his family and while at school, developed a knack for drawing, ultimately leading to a fine appreciation of the arts.
Chen's first foray into the art world was during his time at the National Cheng Kung University in Tainan when, in a downtown gallery, a sculpture by Hong Kong-based artist Cheung Yee caught his eye.
A beautiful piece, Chen knew he had to have it – and after working two part-time jobs over the course of 18 months for the necessary $600, he did. Today, that sculpture still takes pride of place in his Yageo office.
Since that initial hard-fought purchase, Chen's art collection has grown to include both Modern and post-war masterpieces with artworks regularly loaned out to international institutions, like London's Tate Modern and Tokyo's National Museum of Modern Art.
That same connoisseurship and drive to collect naturally extended itself into the world of wine, which Chen regards as the "ninth art… the only art form one can consume".
Initially focusing on buying Bordeaux, as finances allowed, Chen moved on to specialize in acquiring Burgundies – less sought-after at the time – finding deep satisfaction in the way it played with both his native cuisine and that of his beloved France.
Forty years later, Chen's sensational cellar now boasts thousands of bottles from the most prestigious sites around the word.
A thirst for knowledge
Chen's love of wine mirrors his love of art. Both offer the aesthete rich delight for the senses, a unique opportunity to create magical and memorable experiences individually or in company.
Complimenting his love of art and wine, Chen inhabits and understands both Western and Eastern ways of life, although he doesn't bind himself rigidly to the rules of either.
For example, he often lets wine dictate the menu, rather than the other – more conventional – way around. While fish, in Chen's world, rarely demands a white, both red Burgundy and even significantly aged Bordeaux can offer elevated matches.
"Mature Bordeaux is an obvious marriage with beef or lamb; however, I find that as Bordeaux ages (60 years or more), the texture and tannin become far more delicate and Burgundian. With that in mind, it is worthwhile to experiment with seafood."
For Chen, having grown up in Taiwan where fantastic seafood is in abundance, making such unconventional pairings is something he relishes.
Along with seafood, Chen has also found younger, more full-bodied Burgundies can exhibit enough character to compliment rich dishes, like traditional spicy hot pots.
Chen's global travels over the years have enabled him to develop a deep knowledge of the world of gastronomy which, he believes, is crucial to fully appreciate its cornucopia of delights.
He ensures his trips include encounters with local people, chefs, restaurateurs, gastronomes and produce. Chen firmly believes simplicity lies at the heart of excellence. He knows ingredients best showcase their purest flavors when treated gently, with joy and, above all, respect. Finally, at the core of his life philosophy is the belief that sensory experiences only reach full potential when shared, with family, friends and loved ones, and none more so than food and wine.
Future endeavors
As the market for fine wine continues to broaden with 60 percent of Sotheby's new wine buyers in their 30s and 40s, and 43 percent of sales coming from bidders in China, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and wider Asia, Pierre Chen's vast collection offers newcomers the chance to try wines seldom seen on the market.
Chen hopes by opening up a small but treasured portion of his collection, others will find as much enjoyment in the drinking and sharing of these wines as Chen does with the people in his life.
Now, after a lifetime of tasting, drinking and collecting, Chen is taking his passion for great food and wine, to new levels. After six years in development, he plans to open his own restaurant in Paris, Le Restaurant Blanc boasting exceptional cuisine and – of course – a carefully-curated wine list of 7000 bottles.
In collaboration with chef Shinichi Sato, the first Japanese chef to be awarded two Michelin stars in France for his Passage 53 restaurant, Le Restaurant Blanc will, at its heart, champion the essence of an ingredient in all its vivid simplicity.
While moving onto this next venture and trimming his collection, Chen hopes the bottles on offer will be as savored by their new owners, with as much love and enjoyment, as which they have been treasured in the past.
This article was produced in association with Sotheby's.
