Low fill DRC - Drink or sell?

WINE TALK
21

How much did you pay for it? If more, drink. If much less, consider sell.

22

Assuming $900 doesn’t significantly alter your financial well-being, (hopefully not since you bought this bottle and it seems like that would be irresponsible if so) I would drink it. Either it will be an amazing bottle and a story worth the price or it will be terrible and still an experience worth the story.

In regard to the restaurant conundrum. Just wait and drink it at a different time when it is more appropriate to bring back up bottles.

I will say, this is out of my realm of drinking, but I am emboli get the power of the internet to give an unsolicited opinion! [cheers.gif]

23

I’d probably sell it, even if it’s drinkable you have no idea of provenance and obviously something has contributed to the extreme ullage here. Therefore I doubt what you taste would be a true representative bottle. unless you have the tasting history to compare it’s not how I’d want my impression to be made. Because of the prestige of the label the wine will be over analyzed and I’d be wondering the whole time is this right?

Unless you paid like $100 or $900 means nothing to you, which I assume it doesn’t since you asked the question.

24

drink it.

25

Oh, they might well except it [snort.gif]

26

with a medium fill its worth 3-4,000. assuming color is good , definite drinker.

27

28

I had a very rewarding experience with this exact wine about 6 weeks ago, despite a low-shoulder (borderline below) fill. My TN follows. Good luck!

Jonathan

“My second of two bottles. Whereas the prior one was flawed, marred by some sort of mold, this was a very different story, notwithstanding a terrifyingly low fill. Opened 6 hours in advance to allow to slow-ox. The ancient-looking cork came out relatively whole, but for a stub bit that tumbled into the wine. No signs of seepage, but the edges were crusted with a fine dusting that I think may have been a sort of deterioration of the metal seal. I could tell we were in luck from the sweet fruit aromas that quickly emerged, and was not to be disappointed when I returned to the cellar that evening. My friend and I started with a small pour, remarking on how light-colored, almost translucent the wine was in the glass. From a single sip, he said he sensed a touch of madeirization, but I didn’t detect any such aspect. Maybe he was trying to dampen expectations? The fruit was very present for me, backed up by a rich, glycerined texture, presumably from long-ago new oak. In any case, we topped up our pours and set the glasses aside for thirty minutes or so. Upon returning, it was indisputable that the wine had gained density in appearance, something we had not noticed any time before. And the wine was singing! Sweet and tart red fruit: cranberries, rhubarb, orange oil and something more exotic we couldn’t identify exactly (he said cola at one point but I didn’t agree). The wine continued to change throughout the evening, showing smoked meat, bacon fat, exotic spice and that awesome viscosity. My friend had been with me a week before when I gave two wines (1964 Ausone and 1990 Cailloux Centenaire) 100 points each – he gleefully pronounced these better! For me, this Richebourg fell fractionally below perfection, but when emotion is taken into account it ranks as amongst my most unforgettable wines.”

29

I’d say drink it.

I’d be wary of taking it to a restaurant, though, unless (a) you can drop it off ahead so it’s had time to stand upright to let sediment settle out and (b) you are very confident that the sommelier knows how to handle a bottle like this. It would be very easy to have a very sound bottle spoiled by sediment, either bringing it there or because of careless/clueless wait staff!

30

If you have consumed DRC wines previously sell it, if not, it may be your only shot and even more so for a 1978.
I have consumed many bottles of RC, LaT and Richebourg from the 60’s and 70’s, including four or five of this one, so my attitude is different.
It may provide an interesting experience and it may not, but as previously posted it is not a prime example, but rather survivor of unknown provenance–did it sit on a wine rack on top of the frig? It has serious ullage for a reason and some of the potential causes such as seasonal temperature variations in a passive cellar combined with a cork failure could mean damaging air and liquid exchange. If the cork is dessicated from years in low humidity and did not maintain a good seal. How did you determine the cork is in good shape, a critical determining factor?
I would sell it and get another great wine from known provenance with good bottle conditions and have the best experience possible.

31

i am shocked to see even one person recommend drinking this. no way it will be a representative experience, who cares what it says on the label. take the money without a doubt.

32

What would this bring at auction? More than $900 I assume, even with a low fill?

33

Fill level way too low for ‘78

34

Sounds like you have already made up your mind. Just pop the dam thing and report back. Case closed.

Or get the guy up to $1500 and then run real fast :running_man::running_man::running_man:

35

Drink it! Imagine if the wine was indeed bad and you had to keep running into that same guy who bought it? How awkward would that be? And that’s IF he didn’t demand his money back in which case you’d be out $900 and with no DRC to drink. D.T.S.! (drink that sh*t!)

36

Unless the color and clarity are at least very good, most houses wouldn’t sell it.

37

Drink.

Based on my (limited…and very recent) experience that you are over compensated for buying low ullage wines.

Thus you are likely to be over penalised for selling a low ullage wine. Especially DRC. And you will go to your grave regretting that you never opened it.

38

In addition to the color (in the pic above) indicating it’s likely in good shape…Richebourg is amongst the most powerful/structured of Burgundies, making it more able to handle that ullage than other wines.

39

Exactly
Looks more like 1958 or older

40

I have drunk a few Bordeaux and old Aussies with low fill that have been OK.
To me though this wine is just too ullaged for a wine of its age. I have wines from the late 60s in my cellar that are ullaged less than 1 cm. My only experience of 78 DRC was a perfect fill LT a decade ago and that wine was certainly fully mature. Personally I would err on the side of taking the money.