I know that we talked this issue to death (is there a bottle in your Cellar that you will NEVER Open). And, I was always 1st to say that everything in my Cellar with be drank or sold (for that matter). And, that I don’t get emotionally attached to Wine. It is just Wine & not a Dali-original.

But, I have been having 2nd thoughts lately. With the Great 2001 Vintage in CA (more that a few bottles barrel-rated 95-100) & the Great 2000 Bdx-vintage. If you have a few of the 1st-Growths or a Harlan, Maya, Eagle… And, those bottles are Rated 98-100.

…Why wouldn't I (or YOU) keep a few for sentimental reasons. Most of us consider ourselves Wine-drinkers/collectors. Well, why is OK to collect Art, Stamps, Coins, Cars, etc… But, when it comes to Wine, there is a double-standard. No one says to an Art-collector, “…ohhh, you will NOT Sell this painting, why?”. But, yet, everyone says, “…ohhh, you will Never drink that bottle, why? Why did you Buy it then…?” …Why the double-standard?

And, really if you look @ it (if you collect Wine) & don’t have @ least a few bottles as true “collectibles”, what kind of a Wine-collector are YOU?

And, not to mention the fact that this 2001 Harlan or 2000 Latour will fetch really BIG $$$ (30 years down the road) into tens of thousands of Dollars… (if you do choose to Sell it).

I always posted in these Forums that everything in my Cellar will be drank (as long as the Wine ages to perfection). Well, I admit that I’ve changed my mind & intend on having some bottles that I will NEVER Open (as long as I have more than 1 bottle of that particular Wine in my possession).

For me there is ultimetely 2 things that will happen to any bottle of wine in my cellar;

1) I will drink it
2) If I don't plan on drinking it, it will be sold.

This of course goes for the type of bottles you are talking about (high end).

LCC,
I think if I had a cellar with the contents of yours, I would be thinking along the same lines, but I'm not there yet.
My collecting habits seem to be more alighed with TJ and TCK, who are still building up basic cellars with good QPR and 'medium-priced' wines.
Other than a 96 Dalla Valle, a 96 Insignia, and 2 97 Arrowood Reserves, there's probably not anything good enogh to be called 'collectible' in my cellar - today.
I can certainly see why your thoughts in this area would change.

Hopefully someday maybe.

(Oh, I do have a few bottles of 98 and 99 Quilceda Creek)

I would agree with budman, right now I'm building a solid base for a drinking cellar. Three reasons for this:
1) My wife and I are currently renting a small house and are looking for a decent sized house with a basement/cellar for me to build out.
2) Money (see #1)
3) I haven't been passionate about wine long enough to determine the pulse of what's hot and what's not. I just like what I like and follow what I like.

Coincidentally, my best bottle is the 97 Arrowood, followed by 99 Viader, 96 Calon Segur, 97 Casanova di Neri Tenuta Nuova Brunello. All three 00 Leoville's are pre-ordered so I am expecting those to be at the top once they arrive.

There is also another class of bottles - those that the wine may no be worth drinking but the bottle or packaging is special.
We have a bottle of the '66 Mondavi, their 1st release, signed by Mr Mondavi, Tim and Michael. I'm pretty sure that the wine is so far over the hill that it thinks it is on the plains, but the bottle is very special. So that is a collectable.

That's true. I also own a bottle of '74 Mondavi that has absolutely no value or drinkability. However, it's special to me because it was the year I was born and I am hoping to put it in a display along with the '78 (for my wife) and '00 (for our anniversary) once I construct a cellar.

LCC,

I couldn't agree more. I have always felt that way. Yes, there are many bottles that I get just as much pleasure of looking at than I would drinking. And given the long run probably more pleasure.

Look on it as ESTATE PLANNING. My kids can either drink the stuff or sell it. Maybe it can be hidden from the estate.

Of course, if my vet tells me I've got two days to go, we're going to have one hell of a party. To hell with the kids!

I hope that mbansek sees this. And, tells a story about FreeTheGrapes & his purchasing of Ch. Latour.

davidn: I never looked @ it that way before. But, I do, now, more & more. Wine as a "collectible", a "real" collectible & yes, a source of income (in the future). Where before I ONLY looked @ it as a drinking-enjoyment. Now, it is both...

The 74 Mondavi, well stored, should be pretty good. I'm getting to the point where some of my old bottles are best left unopened.

Well, OK LCC!

Here is the short version. It has been a few weeks since he told me the story, so some of the facts may be slightly off, but FTG is welcome to correct them. Hope he does not mind me posting the story.

Jump into the way-back machine:

Free The Grapes was in Las Vegas about a year ago, on a trip with his employees. I forget which casino he was at. They had been spending a lot of money on some fine dining and wines there. One of his employees noticed a bottle of 1806 Lafite for sale.

Of course, his employees all knew what a wino he is, and pestered him mercilessly to buy the bottle. He spoke with the waiter, the sommelier and the manger over time about the bottle. After discussing it at length, they agreed to give him 10% off the bottle if he wanted it, since they were spending so much money there.

He whipped out the plastic and bought it for $3000 less 10%, or $2700. Needless to say, Mrs. FTG, who was not there was not amused by that.

Fast forward to early January of this year:

FTG was back in Vegas for another trip with his employees, and they went back to the same place. The manager instantly recognized him, and asked if he was the person who had bought the 1806 Lafite. FTG admitted he was.

The manager told him that the actual price of the bottle had been $30,000, not $3,000! It had apparently been overridden at the register by a person who did not believe the price, because everybody had been talking about $3,000!

And the story gets better: He has since spoken to a number of appraiser-types, who estimate the bottle is worth in the neighborhood of $50,000 currently. He has been told by them that as it approaches its 200th birthday, they expect it will shoot up in price to around $100,000! And apparently the chateau is trying to get hold of him to sell it to them for "any reasonable price" because it is believed to be the only bottle of that year still in existence!

Needless to say, Mrs. FTG no longer has a problem with the original purchase. With twin girls under 1-1/2 years old, this one purchase will likely pay for their college education.

And yes, the bottle is fully insured.

Mike

Now, THAT's a story. Wow, wow, wow.

Thanks for sharing. FTG did well!!

That's one where FTG took Vegas to the cleaners.

it's about time SOMEBODY did!

Let's hear it for FTG!!!

Question is: How many of us would do the same?

mbansek told me that he would pass on that bottle not knowing the value of it...

and, I said to mbansek the following:

"...You know. In this economy, I would also. Better days (4-5 years ago)...would be an interesting test for me (the result, hard to say). But, I would be thinking what is this bottle really worth?!?

Wine as an investemnt...not so far fetched...

Looks like some guy, Charles Mara, bought a 1806 Lafite in 1978 for $28,000. Same bottle? Here are two links:

http://www.foodweb.com/maven/maven60.html

http://www.winebow.com/us/california/mara.htm