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.