The Danny Younis Collection is the finest single vendor auction ever presented by LANGTONS. The auction series covers Domaine Armand Rousseau, Italy, Bordeaux (and Sauternes), Champagne, Australia and New Zealand as well as a host of international wines, with a particular focus on Germany, all culminating in the jewel of the collection in Domaine de la Romanée-Conti or DRC.

Danny Younis has assembled one of Australia's great personal collections of fine wine. While many collections of this size represent some of a pyramid of quality and prestige, the Danny Younis Collection is a top-heavy survey of Grand Cru Burgundy, Classified Bordeaux and Australian wines, prestige cuvée Champagnes, and a discerning selection of highly sought-after wines, including Madeiras dating back to the 1850s.

The collection comprises approximately five thousand bottles, most concentrated in the great regions of France, ably supported by representative collections from Italy, Spain, and Australia, with further explorations of other significant nations, including New Zealand, Lebanon, Hungary, and the USA. Suffice it to say, this singular auction represents a gilt-edged opportunity for collectors to secure bottles, usually so few as to exclude all but the most determined of bidders.

LANGTONS took some time to chat to Danny Younis about his life in wine ahead of his incredible auction. We began by asking him, what collecting wine has meant to him.

‘I think, first and foremost, it's the intersection between art and science: that's something I'm really passionate about. I come from a scientific background but I've also worked in creative and artistic fields.’

‘The second reason I've been compelled to really love wine is the lifelong friends that's brought me. From the wonderful people both within the industry and those external to the industry like my friends. To go to these regions like France, Italy and throughout Australia and see them firsthand, meet with the winemakers, taste the wines, study the regions. That all brings immense hedonic pleasure as well so that's probably the other reason.’

The opening auction in the series is dedicated to Domaine Armand Rousseau. We asked Danny why the particular focus on this coveted Domaine.

‘Rousseau means a lot to me because it's probably one of my three desert island wines. At one stage I had over a thousand bottles of Rousseau!’

‘I'm down to about 700 at the moment and a significant chunk of that is coming to auction’ ‘Rousseau has these beautiful pure red fruited characters that you usually don't find in other Burgundies.’

‘I think there's been a significant improvement in the trajectory of the quality of Rousseau over the last few years. It's always going to be a core part of my collection.’

‘As published in LANGTONS Classification of Australian Wine, we’re always interested in collectors of wines from this part of the world and, by extension, those of New Zealand. Danny shared this.

‘Collecting Australian and New Zealand wine has always been part and parcel of my collection and indeed it was my first love.’

‘I've always favoured wines like Rockford or Wendouree or the Tyrrell’s Sacred Sites. Mount Mary has always been a big love of mine as have the Giacondas. And I was guided in many cases by LANGTONS and it hasn't failed me.’

‘By the age of 18, I was already buying Grange. I had already known about the heritage and status of Grange and I remember going into the Kmart at Chatswood Chase and paying $39.99 for a ‘79 and a 1980 Grange. I went really nuts on the 1990 and the 1991. Then obviously Wine Spectator came out [awarding Penfolds Grange the 1995 Wine Spectator Wine of the Year] which really put it on the map. I went out and bought a stack of that as well!’

’If you're born in 1968 you're probably going to be very lucky because I've got over 100 bottles from that vintage so if it's your birth year both fortifieds and dry wines you'll have a fantastic collection to continue.’

On Bordeaux, Danny extols the virtues of long ageing and he has helpfully done that for us.

‘Bordeaux will always remain my number one love.’

‘Why? Bordeaux after 25 years is the only wine I think massively improves versus its peers. That's where you really see Bordeaux at 30, 40, 50 years of age.’

‘The experiences I've had with old Bordeaux from the 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s are etched in my memory as absolute highlights.’

‘Italy has been a cornerstone of my collection as well so the focus early on was Giacosa and Gaja. Then in the late 1990s, I discovered Giacomo Conterno. For me, if you have two first growths or the equivalent first growths in Barolo and Barbaresco you probably have Giacosa and Giacomo Conterno, and Giacomo Conterno wines are absolutely immortal.’

‘Whether it be from the cheaper Barberas to the Cascina Francias or the Cerrettas, those wines are absolutely superlative and they still undervalued relative to the great Burgundies or great Bordeaux wines of the world.’

While Danny Younis’ eye for collecting traverses the globe, the heart of the collection is focused on Burgundy with the crowning achievement being his Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.

‘Leroy, Roumier, Mugnier, Méo-Camuzet, Sylvain Cathiard, Comte de Vogüe are all cornerstones in my Burgundy collection. In terms of whites, I'm a really passionate lover of Coche Dury and, obviously, Raveneau from Chablis.’

‘If you're a Burgundy lover, the wines of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti also known as DRC are really your Holy Grail.’

‘I've actively sought out the wines of DRC from Australia specifically for the last 30 years. Why? Provenance is everything. The provenance is indisputable and for me that's really important when you're paying big bucks for these sorts of wines. What does DRC mean to me? Look, the wines are absolutely fantastic. There's absolutely no no doubt about that. Right from the bottom level Corton right up to the Romanée Conti.’

Lastly, we asked Danny why he was selling his personal collection that he has built over a lifetime.

‘Selling my wine collection has been a very difficult decision. I've been emotionally attached to all my wines and indeed I can remember where each and every one of them was bought from. But, the reality is I'm never going to drink the amount of wines that I currently have. I believe now it's time.’

‘Working with LANGTONS has been a wonderful experience. The time I've spent working with the team has shown me just how much care and that professionalism is imbued in the company.’

‘I hope you enjoy the wines as much as I have enjoyed collecting them.’

LANGTONS is proud to present the auction of The Danny Younis Collection, a private collection decades in the making.