now stated that he had always been skeptical “Wine Lover’s Nose for Fakery…,” Wall Street Journal, September 1, 2006.
“Our position…is that we made it clear” E-mail from Browett to author, September 6, 2006.
“I don’t think that anyone would have bought” E-mail from Browett to author, December 7, 2005.
“Looking back, more questions” “Wine Lover’s Nose for Fakery…,” Wall Street Journal, September 1, 2006.
“among whose number I am lucky to count myself” JMB, Vintage Wine, 110.
“we can confirm that the engraving” Fax from JMB to author, November 14, 2006.
a Christie’s spokesman disavowed E-mail from Toby Usnik to author, November 14, 2006.
“cathartic” “Comments on the Rodenstock Affair,” jancisrobinson.com, September 7, 2006.
“fortune and some visionary wine men” “The power of one,” Decanter, May 1, 2001.
Sotheby’s had pulled ahead “2005 Wine Auctions Exceed $166 Million,” winespectator.com, December 22, 2005.
“molecular” and “chemical” analysis “Most extensive collection of Chateau Lafite to be tested prior to sale,” decanter.com, April 23, 2007.
A University of Bordeaux study Frédéric Brochet, “Tasting: Chemical Object Representation in the Field of Consciousness,” 2002.
whom Koch misidentified “Wine Lover’s Nose for Fakery…,” Wall Street Journal, September 1, 2006.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I could not have written this book without the help of the small club of men who have bought or sold Jefferson bottles. Kip Forbes gamely brought the 1985 auction back to life for me and provided access to the Forbes curatorial files on the 1787 Lafite. Michael Broadbent gave indispensable and charming assistance over several years, answering and reanswering questions he tired of long ago and forthrightly opening his files to me. Bill Sokolin was candid, good-humored, and always receptive. Marvin Shanken, amid an audacious cigar-smoke haze in his Manhattan office, obliged me by sharing his auction war stories. Bill Koch provided enlightenment over lunch in Palm Beach, and I am especially thankful to Brad Goldstein, in his office, who was a worthy notes-trader as we pursued parallel investigations. Hardy Rodenstock, an elusive and enigmatic subject, kept things interesting; I never knew where his next fax would come from, and he always kept me guessing with his spirited correspondence.
Pursuing the story of the Jefferson bottles was a pleasurably far-flung endeavor, and so is acknowledging the many other people who aided my quest:
IN GERMANY: Many thanks to Mario Scheuermann in Hamburg, for opening doors and wines, and to Walter Eigensatz in Wiesbaden, for his hospitality and candor. In Munich, Yeter Göksu, Norbert Menzel, and Manfred Wolf explained the complexities of radiometric dating. From Berlin, Hans-Horst Bethge assisted with legwork. I also thank Fedor Brunner, Ralf Frenzel, Hans-Peter Frericks, Madeleine Jakits, Hanns O. Janssen, Otto Jung, Petra and Andreas Klein, Monika Krupski, Ulrich Sautter, Emmy Scherrer, Jack Schiffer, Bodo Schlosshan, Toni Viehhauser, Karl-Heinz Wolf, Heinz-Gert Woschek, and Andreas Zielcke.
IN ENGLAND: Simon Woodroffe, a true wine lover, generously shared his home, company, cooking, cellar, and Decanter subscription during a two-month research stay in London. For interviews and other help, I owe thanks to Stephen Brook, Stephen Browett, Jim Budd, Patrick Grubb, Tom Higham, Ben Howkins, Malcolm Kimmins, Tim Littler, David Molyneux-Berry, Adrian Monck, Stephen Mould, Jancis Robinson, Maggie Rosen, Sam Sandbach, Steven Spurrier, Serena Sutcliffe, Jess White, and Amy Wislocki. Other people who helped me feel at home in England include Belinda Carruthers, Michael and Sheila Furth, Bridgie and Richard Griffiths, Linda Gummery, Maureen and Walter Marlowe, and Christopher Wickham and Diego Choi.
IN BORDEAUX: Christian Moueix and Paul Pontallier graciously had me to lunch in the middle of the harvest, and Alexandre de Lur Saluces did the same on a bleakly beautiful January day in Sauternes. Philippe Hubert and Bernard Medina let me into their “garage” and, with great patience and good humor, showed me their high-tech wine-dating tools. Thanks also to Murielle Andraud, Laurent Barbier, Martin Both, René Lambert, Alain Puginier, and Jean-Luc Thunevin. Elsewhere in France, Fabian Cobb was warmly encouraging.
IN SWITZERLAND: Wolfgang Grünewald was especially hospitable and helpful, as was Franz Wermuth. Thanks also to Rudolf Knoll, Bruno Künzle, and Raphael Mullis.
IN AUSTRIA: Georg Riedel in Kufstein, Klaus Wagner in the Wachau, and Adi Werner in the Arlberg showed me by their hospitable examples why Hardy Rodenstock has thrown so many of his tastings in their beautiful country. August Winkler was an obliging interviewee.
ELSEWHERE: I received help, remotely, from Jeannie Cho Lee in Hong Kong, Nachshon Sneh in Israel, and Ben Ami Fihman in Venezuela.
IN THE UNITED STATES: Dan Jordan welcomed me to Monticello, and Cinder Stanton was good natured in explicating her 1985 investigation. I am grateful to Dennis Foley for sending me a very rare complete set of the handsome, short-lived newsletter Rarities. At the University of California at Davis, Vernon Singleton and Andrew Waterhouse helped me to understand how wine ages. I owe thanks to Salma Abdelnour and Dana Cowin, at Food & Wine, for some timely assignments that helped broaden my knowledge of wine. David Black and Gary Morris provided early encouragement and advice. A number of other people, many of them wine merchants, auctioneers, collectors, and journalists, gave me essential interviews and other help. They include Michael Aaron, Mark Bravin, John Brincko, Bartholomew Broadbent, Alyson Careaga, James Climan, Chris Coover, Bipin Desai, Jim Elroy, Russell Frye, Eric Greenberg, Robert W. Hutton, Wilf Jaeger, Richard Johnson, John Kapon, Bonnie Kirschstein, Frank Komorowski, Andy Lawlor, Edward Lazarus, Edward Lollis, Russell Martin, Tom Matthews, Elin McCoy, Janice McManus, Peter Meltzer, Peter and Roberta Morrell, Julian Niccolini, Robert M. Parker Jr., Frank Prial, Sam Santarelli, Peter M. F. Sichel, Dave Sokolin, Gloria Sokolin, John Tilson, Margaret Kelly Trombly, Geoffrey Troy, Toby Usnik, Len Yablon, Jeff Zacharia, and, in Vancouver, Albert Givton.
Many thanks to the staffs of the British Library, the Cambridge University Library, the Hauptbibliothek Geisenheim, the Jefferson Library of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, the Peter J. Shields Library at the University of California at Davis, the New York Public Library, the Free Library of Philadelphia, the American Philosophical Society, and the Van Pelt Library at the University of Pennsylvania, and to Fritz Blank, whose remarkable culinary collection is now part of Penn’s Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
I am lucky to have found, in Larry Weissman, a literary agent who is a passionate reader, fierce advocate, and steadfast advisor. He was a true partner in the making of this book. Many thanks also to Sascha Alper, for her enthusiasm, good judgment, and hard work.
At Crown, I am grateful especially to the three talented editors I was privileged to work with, each of whom made the book better: Annik LaFarge, whose enthusiasm was inspiring, and who very generously read the manuscript and gave valuable criticism; Luke Dempsey, who provided sound counsel during much of the reporting and writing; and Rachel Klayman, who saw the book through to completion with a rare mix of intelligence, rigor, and restraint. Many thanks also for the warmth, attention, and support of Steve Ross, Kristin Kiser, Tina Constable, Jenny Frost, and the whole team at Crown, including Christine Aronson, Mary Choteborsky, Whitney Cookman, Lauren Dong, Linda Kaplan, Min Lee, Courtney Morrow, Donna Passannante, Philip Patrick, Robert Siek, and David Wade Smith.
Several other people who helped bring this book to fruition are: Jennie Dorris, who checked facts with admirable professionalism and persistence; Lawrence Schofer, who eloquently and efficiently translated German-language documents; Jamie Pastor Bolnick, who transcribed some interviews; Victor Fiorillo, a skilled computer researcher; Dan Shimberg, who came to the occasional technological rescue; and Peter Jones, who keeps Fear the Fro, Inc., solvent.
In Philadelphia, the multitalented David Fields is a treasured friend and advisor, who has taught me a lot about wine, amon
g other things. Cary Borish and his family generously gave me a place to write. I received encouragement, tutorials, collegial support, and other help from Buzz Bissinger, Michael Bloom, Joanne Buzzetta, Amy Donohue, Jason Fagone, Bob Huber, David Lipson, Herb Lipson, Chris McDougall, Pat McGovern, Marnie Old, Shola Olunloyo, Michael and Jenny Raphael, Dan Rubin, Rich Rys, Deborah Scoblionkov, Mark Squires, and Amy Strauss. Thanks also to everyone at La Colombe, one of the world’s best coffee shops and my second office for many years.
Larry Platt, a great friend, generous colleague, and early believer in this project, read the manuscript and gave helpful criticism, as did Sasha Issenberg, to whom I also owe my agent and who was the closest thing to a coworker as I labored on this book. Two other gifted friends and colleagues who made the considerable effort to read a draft of the manuscript and helped improve it are Max Potter and Mike Steinberger.
I am grateful to Lois Wallace and Tom Wallace, who have both been longtime supporters.
Many thanks to my parents, Daphne and Don Wallace, and my sisters Alexandra and Sarah, for their enduring love and support.
Jessica Pressler lived with this project for more than two years. She was understanding of its demands, gave constant support, and with her unerring nose for the fraudulent was an invaluable reader of the manuscript. I am so grateful for her love.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
BENJAMIN WALLACE has written for GQ, Food & Wine, and Philadelphia, where he was the executive editor. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, and can be reached on the Web at www.benjaminwallace.net.
Copyright © 2008 by Benjamin Wallace
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Crown Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
CROWN is a trademark and the Crown colophon is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wallace, Benjamin, 1968–
The Billionaire’s vinegar: the mystery of the world’s most expensive bottle of wine / Benjamin Wallace.
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Wine and wine making—Miscellanea. I. Title.
TP548.W2945 2008
641.2'223—dc22 2007031645
eISBN: 978-0-307-41030-6
v3.0
The Billionaire's Vinegar Page 31