1989 Lynch Bages going for $400 at auction....

[JimHow]

So I've been bidding on 1989 Lynch Bages in recent weeks.
Every time I do so, the price goes up to about $375 before I give up.
With two hours to go in a K&L auction, the bid is up to $385.
I give up!
It is now impossible to purchase "the greatest Bordeaux wine since 1961" without breaking the bank.

[stefan]

And it is all your fault, Jim. You moved the market in that wine.

Maybe François will sell you some.

[JimHow]

Sadly I think you are right, Stefan, I think BWE moved the market on that wine.

[DavidG]

I know a restaurant with perfectly stored '89 Lynch that can be had for under $200/btl, but you have to drink it there.

[stefan]

Best friend David G., please tell me what restaurant in a private email.

[JimHow]

Yes we'll have to do dinner there! I think it is in Delaware.
I just want to get one bottle to hold for my 75th birthday!

[DavidG]

PM sent. It's pretty off the beaten path, so the cellar hasn't been decimated by throngs of bargain-seeking BWEs.

Jim, there is no way that a single bottle of '89 Lynch would last in your cellar until you are 75. Maybe an unopened case. But a single bottle? The cork would be out and the bottle drained the first time you encountered a friend or acquaintance with even a passing interest in wine. You couldn't resist the temptation to kindle a passion for great Bdx in the heart of another innocent.

[jal]

I may have one bottle remaining, I will bring it to the convention if I can find it.

[Michael-P]

I too am convinced BWE can move the market because right after SHL 04 was picked as BWE-WOTY, I tried to buy some and have been experiencing the same "chasing the curve up" that Jim has been experiencing with his hunt for 89 Lynch.

The same thing happened to me back in the early 2000s when after having had a great 83 Margaux at the BWE Annual in NY I tried to buy some and the price kept going up each successive auction I tried, going from I believe $200 to $300. I gave up at $300.

Frustrating!

Jim: WAP shows the price for a case at around $300-$375, so maybe you need to buy a case? Or why don't you get some 89 Purple Baron that essentially tied with the Lynch at the first BWE Annual? Or your other favorite, the 88 VCC? (sorry, couldn't resist!).

Michael-P

[johnz]

Currently this week's Winebid auction offers two single bottle lots of the '89 Lynch -- one for $230 and one for $250, plus 15% premium. That's a lot of money, but it's not $400 . . .

-Gary Rust

[JimHow]

Yes I saw those on Winebid, I'll probably bid there at some point. A half bottle of the stuff is up to $140 with a day left in a K&L auction.
Mike, saying the Purple Baron essentially tied with Lynch at Chicago '01 is like saying the Patriots essentially tied the Giants in their two Super Bowls, or that Al Gore essentially tied GW Bush. Just think, it is getting close to some Jimmy L.B. How press conferences!

[finner]

I bought a bottle of 1989 Lynch Bages on release as an anniversary wine. I am saving the bottle for our 50th wedding anniversary.

[JimHow]

Well done, finner, as that is the finest Bordeaux produced since 1961!