Mourning with Stuart Beaunehead

Stuart wrote here that he stopped with the 2005 vintage and that it’s bittersweet. Today is my last day of wine “shopping.” I hope forever. If I buy any more wine it will be a targeted bottle as opposed to, let’s browse and see what Premier Cru has, or what Acker/KL/Heritage/Wallys/Winebid/Hdh auctions have. No more browsing.

Wine lists I will stay on: Thomas, Ridge reds only, House reds only, and one lot of Napa cabernet a year if made by a friend.

Other actions:
Organize and catalogue; reduce some cases down to four or sixpacks but otherwise sell as little as possible. Sell no bottle of a wine I have fewer than five of. Unless I really dislike the wine.

Drink old first. Drink some of the whites.

Finally put wine acquisition energy into filing a lawsuit regarding the Truchot fiasco on Commerce Corner where I have heard nothing for weeks and information is still being withheld. I am naming as defendants in the suit everyone associated with the transaction, possession, or storage of the wine who both (1) knows I paid for the wine but (2) knows I dont have it and (3) could easily help but won’t.
When I am in DC next week instigate a criminal prosecution but, unlike the lawsuit, only against the seller, and ask police to identify and interview who has the wine. I dont even have that name after all this time.

Have more impromptu local tastings at informal local restaurants.

Go to Ridge and House events. And my local cafe. And host four tastings a year in SF.

Figure out a rule for drinking alone. Never?

Grieve the loss of an exciting hobby I’m good at: shopping for wine, including hours of window shopping. It became a compulsive avoidance activity, like watching TV (which I dont have) when you know you are avoiding doing something productive but painful.

The timing is because I really splurged on two significant bottles this weekend, and today just won a midrange KL auction lot that was symbolic. I was going to go out on one bottle of negociant Musigny but then I discovered auctions.

House?

Mel & I will call soon, we are overdue in SF.

Best of luck with your lawsuit George. Hope you receive a satisfactory conclusion to that unfortunate experience.

Boy oh boy- You put a lot of thought into this seemingly spontaneous decision or has it been a long time in the making? Seems like you’ve definitely hit a critical mass! Sounds like a good plan but in reality I hope it turns into a Seinfeld type episode regarding who can hold off buying/browsing wine for longer.

House is local and a very pretty place to hang out. Winemaking is outstanding, material pretty good.

Aiex everything you said nails it. A long time coming. I have more than enough wine. This is no sacrifice on my part. Buying more wine makes no logical sense. A very high percentage of the wine I have fits my palate or I would sell half and keep buying. There are a couple of expensive spoofilated European reds I’ll sell but that might be it. Oceans of midrange red burgs, and Rhys, I’ll keep.

Paul once I go into litigation mode I get very negative and aggressive and decisive and I’d love to avoid going there. But I gotta face reality, there is no one who can help get me the wine who wants me to get the wine. Im heartbroken that there is no desire on anyones part to see me made whole. Bizarre and sad.

Glenn you guys need to come to one of our less formal tastings in SF. Next one late September.

This is more than just about wine, isn’t it?

Indeed.
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Recently discovered a new group of local suburban wine enthusiasts organized by, would you believe, an Episcopal Priest. Low impact, no geeks, price point is up to $20 a bottle (we cheat but who cares) , all the bottles sit on a table outside and you try what you want. Getting out of “comfort zone” and meeting new people and not obsessing over it is fun. Besides, I got to drink some oddballs I never heard of, like Zibobo. Sounds like you need to rediscover the fun side of the equation. Good luck.

Zibibbo?

You say Zibibbo, I say Zibobo. Wasn’t that a line in a song?

Wondrous stuff: a local name for a Sicilian clone of moscato that is made dry as an aperitvo or as an amazing stickie after drying the grapes on black obsidian lava flows.

Oh, hell, let’s call the whole thing off!

I’m pretty sure I uttered a completely never before heard sentence once (in English anyway) when I told a rep “No, Tony, we don’t need any Zibibbo this week, we’ve got three on the floor already…”

Gentlemen, we are getting away from the topic at hand, knowing when to stop.

Me, I am in my late fifties, and still buying Bordeaux futures in magnum.

Mark, you realize that , for many people, there is a VERY tenuous connection between collecting wine for its own sake and actually consuming it, yes?

Yes. But I live in hope that at current rates of consumption, I live to be 104.21789 years old.

How about Port? That is the only wine that I have stopped buying to cellar. I might buy a bottle at auction or to drink, but not buying new vintage port to cellar anymore.