Great note and pics.
Thank you!
A post with no rancor or negativity (except for Andy’s mild jab). Bravo, Berserkers!
I agree that this seems like a piece of CA wine history. Love the photos.
wow, what an experience that must have been. Trent, your description gave us the nest best thing to being there. It makes me want to try an old vintage port; unfortunately the oldest I have is a 97 taylor.
I have an idea. Can you send be a piece of the cork.
I agree that there are so many enjoyable thinks about this posting:
–Awesome breakfast
–Terrific pictures
–Wonderful California wine history
However, the winner-winner for me was the sinking cork. That just blows me away.
Cork sink…does that mean “45” in French?
There’s an old Kliban cartoon about that, but I can’t find it.
Someone pointing to some rippling water, saying, “Cuatre Cinq!”
But I digress…
All this talk of the cork sinking got me thinking back to my second to last bottle that was opened and it too had a piece of cork that broke off and sunk to the bottom. So I went down to the cellar and examined that bottle as I kept it to place it with the original crate as a decorative piece in our wine cellar and also for its historical nature. What I noticed, is that piece that broke off was still in the bottom of the bottle. Makes sense actually, as the piece wasn’t big enough to come out through the top upon extraction, so when I washed out the bottle it stayed inside.
Well, its been sitting in there for a good 6-8 years and had plenty of time to dry out and shrivel up; so, I wondered if it would sink or float? We have 3 children, ages 13, 10, and 7, so, I put on my Mr. Wizard hat and conducted a science experiment. The kids got all excited as they said it would float. I added water to the empty bottle and at first it kind of floated, maybe a few millimeters above the water line but after 5 minutes, it sank right to the bottom. They all went how did that happen, it must be magic. My middle child asked, would you come to school for science day dad, please dad. When I started to discuss density, the all got up and left saying that dad sure how’s his magic. Have to love kids’ imaginations.
The first picture includes 2 corks, a 1969 Burgundy (oldest one I could find in my cork bucket) and the remains of the 1910 cork.
The second picture is the conducted science experiment after 5 minutes. The sinking cork is just to the right of the green stamp on the bottom.
The third picture is the remains of the 1910 cork. That little bit is still hard as a rock, I cannot press my finger nail into it like I can into the one from the 69.
