Timed Online Auction, 28 January - 9 February 2026

Provenance

The late David Brice was a respected wine connoisseur, collector and co-founder of Wine Cellar, fine wine merchants. His lifelong passion for wine from all corners of the world wine, and generosity, helped develop a culture of fine wine in South Africa and beyond. Always with value and authenticity in mind, the collection spans a wide range of styles from leading producers and diverse regions. The wines were professionally imported under refrigeration and carefully stored at Wine Cellar thereafter. Many of the producers are not available in South Africa and provide an excellent buying opportunity.

The Rhône valley was one of David's favoured regions, known for its diverse range of reds and whites. These were quintessential French wines from excellent easy-drinking, to fine, long-term treasures. He enjoyed wines from all the villages from Vaucluse to Vacqueyras, and Cornas to Côte-Rôtie. David focused on top vintages for long-term maturation and lesser vintages for earlier drinking. The highlight perhaps is his deep collection of top Châteauneuf-du-Pape from great vintages like 2010 and 2007.

For more detailed information on the lots, please feel free to contact Roland Peens (roland@winecellar.co.za). Roland spent many years sharing and enjoying these wines with David Brice and is happy to provide further insight into the collection.

Critics Ratings

‘Decadent layers of blackberry and mulberry preserves are pierced by smoke and toast in this unctuous, glossy red. It's a warming, piquant sip marked by clove, cardamom and black pepper, but balanced freshly too. Tannins are fine and feathery. Oak tones are a bit flashy in youth but should meld beautifully through 2031.’ - Anna Lee C. Iijima, Wine Enthusiast, 95/100 (May 2020)

‘Deep brilliant violet. Intensely perfumed aromas of ripe cherry, blackberry, candied violet, spicecake, garrigue and exotic spices, along with a smoky mineral overtone that builds in the glass. Stains the palate with deeply concentrated red and dark berry liqueur, fruitcake, licorice pastille and lavender flavors that possess a compelling blend of richness and energy. The mineral note comes back strong on a strikingly long, penetrating finish shaped by velvety, steadily mounting tannins. This is the best example of this venerable domaine's work that I can recall drinking in its infancy, and it may measure up to their legendary 1959 and 1961 bottlings, which I first tried back in the late 1980s. 2028-2040’ - Josh Raynolds, Vinous, 95/100 (Dec 2019)

'A great Chateauneuf from a vintage that was overshadowed by 2019 and 2020, but deserves to be taken seriously. Just beginning to pick up complex bottle maturation character this still has great damson plum fruit. Then comes the most beautiful thing about this wine, the amazing texture on the expansive palate, making it so rich and sensual. Very graceful at the long and delicately dry finish.’ - James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, 95/100