I’ve been SUPER busy today, so I’m going to keep today’s post REALLY brief…This is an audience participation number…It occurred to me the other day that I know very little about most of the folks that read my ramblings, so I thought that it might be both fun and interesting to talk about our repsective “cellars”. Now by cellar, I don’t (necessarily) mean a damp cellar carved from living rock with a 50,000 bottle capacity. I’m not even talking about a fancy 1000-bottle Franco-Tank wine cabinet (though don’t feel guilty if you’ve actually got one - I wish I had one). No, I’m talking about those special bottles that you may have laying down in your basement or in the closet under your stairs…What, how many, most valuable bottle, and favorite bottle…Let me be clear with this idea too - this is not a bragging session, but rather a “meet and greet” with wine…

OK, me first…

I’ve got about 300 bottles spread out over 1 30 bottle Haier wine “cooler”, 1 60 bottle of the same, a BIG wooden rack that holds about 130 bottles that rests up against the coolest wall in my basement, and the rest of the bottles divided between a crawlspace under my basement stairs, and my mom’s “sub-basement” (it’s fully underground).

Of these roughly 300 bottles, I’d say about 85% are Italian - mostly Barolo and Barbaresco, some Brunellos, and some old oddities like a 1985 Schioppettino from Ronchi di Cialla, and a couple of 1995 Antonelli Sagrantinos. The remainder of the wines are French, Portuguese, and a few CAREFULLY selected Californians. Zero Australia, Zero South America. I have only a couple of large format bottlings…

My most valuable bottle is undoubtedly a single bottle of Giacomo Conterno Barolo “Monfortino” 1995 which is going for roughly $250 per bottle these days…this wine will be ready when I’m about 150 years old…

My most favoritist bottle(s) is a tie, and for the same reason - neither are made any longer, and never will be again:

1) Casa Ferreirinha Douro Reserva 1989 (Portugal) - This is the bottling just under the now defunct producer’s legendary “Barca Velha” cuvee`. Though this wine is still available, supplies are low, and as I said, the Ferreira as a house is now defunct. The vineyards still are being farmed, but for my palate, the “magic” is gone…

2) This is going to come as a real surprise to those who know me and/or have followed the blog for a while…
Ridge Petite Sirah York Creek 1999 - The York Creek vineyard is owned by one Fritz Maytag (of, among other things, the Anchor Steam Beer Co., his vineyards in Napa’s Mayacamas Range, as well as Maytag Dairies which makes one of The United States’ best blue cheeses, Maytag Blue, etc.).

Not only was 1999 a spectacular Cali vintage, Ridge is one of may favorite California houses. Further, York Creek’s Petite Sirah vines are among the oldest in the state, and for many, the vineyard is one of the best sites in the state for growing Petite Sirah (and Zin with which the Pet shares the space). But what makes this a real gem is that this is the last vintage that Ridge made, and probably will ever make, from this vineyard. Paul Draper (Ridge’s chief cook and bottle washer) had arranged a long term contract with Mr. Maytag that expired with the 1999 vintage, and it is unlikely that this will EVER be renewed, so once these bottles are gone, they are GONE FOREVER. full stop…sniff, sniff…

OK, now you show me yours…

TOM CIOCCO