Guess what I found (after 29 years) [TN added]

I took the last of my wines out of commercial storage today (well, except for the two cases they can’t find).

There was a pleasant surprise. There was one more box than I was expecting (even allowing for the two missing), and when I opened it, I thought they’d given me someone else’s wines. But then I noticed my handwriting on the price stickers indicating where and when I bought them when I lived in San Francisco.

Evidently, these bottles went into storage in NYC when I moved east in 1993 and somehow they were left off my inventory and the storage place’s all these years. The fills are nearly perfect on all six bottles. The lowest is the ’76 Hermitage, which is down maybe 1.5” from the cork.

I have no recollection of some of these, but some brought back amusing memories.

• I picked up the ’79 Guigal Cote Rotie at Liquor Barn off Army Street in 1985 when they mispriced it at the Cotes du Rhone price, $4.44. This is the last of a half case. I think the last one I opened was in 1992, when it was really glorious.

• As for the Egon Muller, that was acquired in trade for a bottle of ’78 (’84?) Jordan cab. Yes, you read that right.

That came about because, at a dinner party ~30 years ago, a guy mentioned that he and his wife had had a magical experience in a cave in Greece involving a bottle of Jordan cab – a 1984, as I recall, when Jordan was hot stuff. (I didn’t ask for details about the cave.) He’d searched but couldn’t find any of the Jordan. I said I happen to have a bottle and would happy to sell it to him. He was elated and, at my suggestion, paid me in two ’89 Clusel-Roch Cote Roties and the Egon Muller from the Wine House in SF. The Cote Rotie never developed well. It was sort of overextracted and overly tannic. But who cares. 1x Jordan for 1x Egon Muller certainly was a good trade from my standpoint, and I’m sure he and his wife were happy.

Prices, you ask, in case you can’t read the photo?

1979 Guigal - Côte Rôtie - Côtes Brune et Blonde- $4.44 (Liquor Barn booboo, March 1985)
1987 Guigal - Côte Rôtie - Côtes Brune et Blonde (Pacific Wine Co. $15.99, July 1992)
1976 Guigal – Hermitage (Roberts, Woodside, Nov. 1984, $13.49)
1989 Monchof - Urziger Wurzgarten Spatlese ($9.99, store and date not noted)

The ’82 Mas de Daumas Gassac probably came from Kermit Lynch’s shop, or maybe Singer & Foy in SF. As I recall, that was ~$10 at the time.

Some of these may be on their last legs, or well over the hill, but the condition looks great, and they’ve been at 55F since 1993. I’ll report back when I start opening them.
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Nice find! What’s in the two missing cases?

Almost as exciting as finding a lost $20 in the pocket [dance-clap.gif]

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Wines I would like to locate:

1996 Ch. Léoville Barton
1996 Ch. Lynch-Bages
1996 Ch. Smith-Haut-Lafitte
2005 Ribera del Duero - Pesquera
2010 Brézème - Vielle Serines - Texier - Dom. de Pergaud
1999 Hochheimer Hölle - Beerenauslese - Franz Künstler
2002 Brauneberger Juffer - Sonnenuhr - Kabinett - Fritz Haag
1999 Ürziger Würzgarten Spätlese (G.C.) - J.J. Christoffel
1999 Herrenberg Auslese - Maximim Grünhaüser (von Schubert)
2002 Abtsberg Auslese - Maximim Grünhaüser (von Schubert)
1999 Oberemmeler Hütte Spätlese - von Hövel
1999 Brauneberger Juffer - Sonnenuhr Spätlese - Willi Haag
1999 Saarburger Rausch Spätlese - Zilliken

Ouch
But what a great find on the others!
[cheers.gif]

So when you coming over?

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I would expect a good shot at fine bottles from all of those wines. Good find. I hope you find all the others.

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I bet that '82 Gassac is still delicious.

It will cost you a personal tour of your new cellar.

Claude Kolm tells me his Gassacs from that period are holding up very well. He says Kermit charged $4.95 for the '82 at the time.

If only we had a Berserker event coming up…oh, wait…

Wrong coast, I’m afraid.

I bet the German wines are really good.

Yes, I assume those should be fine given the perfect storage.

Those late 80s Clusel Rochs are super variable. I was at a dinner where they were very mediocre and quite heavy on VA (you can read that as rustic), but then a few months ago we opened an 89 and 90 for a friend’s birthday (he’s an 89) and they were fabulous despite my trepidation. Bottle variation:)

Is the answer to the title question “Guess what I found (after 29 years)?”

That I was something of a hustler [wink.gif]

chelsea wine vault?

John,

Missing and (I) presumed (you were) drunk.
Seriously, great find, like digging in your garden and finding buried treasure.

Cheers,
Warren

I’m batting 1.000 so far. The '76 Guigal Hermitage was outstanding-- my WOTY.

The fill was good – maybe 1.25" from the cork. But I figured there was a good chance it would be DOA, or at least tired, so I didn’t decant it. To my surprise, from the first small pour, it was fresh as a daisy.

Indeed, it was spectacular! So fruity, so fresh! It screamed out classic old Northern Rhone. (No sign of Guigal’s barriques.) Fairly ripe plums, black cherries. (No blueberries at this stage.)

Who would expect so much fruit from a wine this old? The tannins are fully resolved but there’s just the right amount of acid to keep this upright. It drank more like I’d expect from a good vintage in the 90s, not a 44-year-old wine.

This was consumed outdoors on a very warm evening, but the wine held up remarkably well – much better than the '07 Texier Brezeme I served along with it (opened as a back-up). The Texier was fine, but seemed to suffer a little from the warm vintage. It lacked precision.

I refrigerated the Guigal between pours at points because it was so warm out, but it lost a little detail through the last third or so of the bottle, and seemed a little more generic and smooth. I think I was right not to decant. It certainly didn’t need time to open up! And that first two-thirds of a bottle reminded my why I age wines. For me, 96.6 - 97.9.
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I love it! Right down to the price tag still affixed.