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Synopsis
Benjamin Wallace investigates the dubious legacy of a bottle of wine which, in 1985, sold for $156,000 at a Christie's auction. That price was based not so much on the vintage of the wine, which was a 1787 Chateau Lafite, but rather on the possibility that the previous owner of the bottle was one Thomas Jefferson. While the bottle does sport the emblazoned initials "ThJ," it remains very much in question whether Mr. Jefferson could really have hidden the bottle so adeptly that it would not be found for almost 200 years. Wallace uses this intriguing mystery as a springboard to explore the bizarre subculture of wine collectors, who hoard crates of wine in cellars bigger than the rest of the house and breathlessly describe their most cherished vintages with lurid language normally reserved for love poems. Since it seems unlikely that the Forbes family, who bought the contentious bottle, will be popping the cork to sample their purchase, one mystery will likely remain unsolved--is there a time limit on the old adage about wine getting better with age?
| Size | | Length: | 319 pages | | Height: | 10.3 in | | Width: | 7.0 in | | Thickness: | 1.5 in | | Weight: | 20.8 oz |
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