Back In Time

I was looking at the history of the Biltmore Estate and it talked about the wine cellar of George Vanderbilt. Interesting to see this letter that was between George and his “trusted wine purveyor” Alexander Morten in preparation for a party in 1914(George unfortunately passed away a month later).

“As to Champagne for a ball:- I can strongly recommend Pierlot 1906. This is a good, sound vintage wine, price $32.50, and is used almost exclusively by many of our customers for dances and entertainments of that ilk. If you have the slightest hesitation, however, I can recommend Pol Roger 1906; price $36. We also have Krug, Clicquot and Pommery of 1906 and 1904; but these are more expensive. The Pierlot is good enough for anybody.”

Steep prices for the time!

After a trip to Europe in 1897—where he attended a celebration to mark the Diamond Jubilee celebrating Queen Victoria’s 60-year reign—he returned home with 200 cases of wine, or 2,400 bottles.

Step it up you slackers!

In 1913, Vanderbilt purchased 35 cases of an 1890 vintage of Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou, from a centuries-old estate near Bordeaux, France, that still operates today. That same year he bought 10 cases of a 1909 vintage from Germany’s Bernkasteler Doctor, still one of the world’s great Rieslings.

His partial inventory list in March of 1913 looks like her was getting low
Biltmorelist.jpg

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Maybe those were case prices, seems way to high for the time.

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Definitely case prices.

Cases for sure.

Crazy that he only had two named Bdx and one was Pontet Canet. Would not have thought it had that kind of reputation in 1913. Maybe that was before it fell out of favor before it became well-regarded again.