The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-02
SIMPLY PRICELESS WINES.
JUSTICE TRUAI TELLS OF SOME
VIEW YORK CELLARS.

Old MRdeirns Owned Hero which Cannot
he Bought-The Costliest Rhine Wines
Chance Missed by Hermann Oeiricha IN
Chicago - Proper Serving of Wine.
Justice Charles II. Truax OF the Supreme
Court is cCnnoisseur Of rare old wines His
judgment on them is frequently sought by his
friends and at tho clubs Of which he is a NOM
her. notably the Manhattan. with its famous
cellars. Justice Truax is himself a collector
Of wines. His cellar is among tho nnestp so
far as quality goes. in this city. 1t Ia by no
means u small cellar. In his study OF wines
he has reached some decided convictions as to
the way in which they should be kept and
served. To collect and study wines is u
recreation for him and he likes 10 talk on the
subject. questi Oh as to what was the Oldest
and most costly wine in New York drew from
him the other night discussion OF n few Of
the rare wines in New York OF which he knew
and some of those in his own cellar.
1T would be impossible for me to say he
began. what is the Oldest and most costly
wine in this city today. Speaking generally.
should say that it was an old Madeira. There
are some very old iIadcirns in the cellar Of
Hermann Oelrichs. He has one ofthe best eel
lars in New York George W. De Witt has
some very old Maderas. Perhaps no one has
any better than John Hone. who has Madeira
that was in the cellars OF his uncle. Philip
Hone. Mayor OF New York in 1925. 1t was u
good wine even then. James I.enov had some
very fine 1904 Madeira. Some OF it was sold
to the Manhattan Club for 81 a bottle. None
OF II is on the clubs wine list now | have
myself some Madeira tina; was sold In 1879 for
SD bottle. ! was fortunate enough to get il
in 1870 fot.iess. Some OF the very fine Madeira.
OF s. |. NJ. Barlow were bought by me for the
Manhattan Club at So and Sl5 bottle.
"But to say ANYTHING a. to the value in
money Of the wines have mentioned In pri-
waite cellars-and there are doubtless many
Others as good OF which have not knowledge
is quite impossible. Those wines are price
less. They were not bought to be sold again
There is no fixing n price upon them The
prices which they would bring ut auction
would show little or nothing. They would
vary so much with the number Of men who
were in need OF such wines and the quantity
of such wines available
Without putting it in so many words Jus
tice rruax spoke ms If the arbitrary limit Of
price for such wines was S25 a bottle. n they
could be bought at all. 1t would he at some
such price az that. lie went on to say that he
had known OF Rhine wincs-in which he has
particularly interested himself-offcred for sale
at so bottle. That was in Chicago in 1893
and he bought bottle under rather anus
ing circumstances. which he explained later
There is n restaurant with extensive wine cellars
in the theatre district which has on its wine
card q teiuberger Cabinet ROYAL Domain ~
at SIS bottle. j. Pierpont Morgan is said. to
have bought number OF bottles OF il at that
price in lS"i The same wine house offers
the Stenberger Cabinet OF 'tiS the same vim
tage, us he Tilden wine. at so bottle
The Illden Rhine wines were IN ostly bought
by Hermann oelrichs and myself" said Justice
lruaN. At least. wa bought more than half
Of them. | bought 800 bottles OF Steinberger
den pad 81 bottle. Senator Bon Gable of IL
linois has some Johann!sberger Cabinet. 1868
Tue seal. have 4 few bottles OF it. it is II
wine tnat. SO Tar as am concerned, | consider
priGe Mss Bnt have seen It Offered for sale
and talk about our wines He believes his
wine. are better than mine and maintain
| set too much store by my ~ blue seal Jo-
iiIn.I,. iis said that i was not par
hal; 70 convince him that lie was wrong /
made this offer 10 him II YOU can get together
case OF carbohydrates Cabinet % in En-
have T. He laughed az me for making such
an Offer But he searched Europe, and the
to the hone. even, of fulfilling my conditions
In 1888 ! wa. AZ the WYrIds Fair in Chicago
teleeraphed me that he would meet me in Chi
cellars q tho Hotei iiIcheliea i saw az case q
wha: it was and Was told that it was blue seal
Jonr sS a:Sed The price
coming TO town in a day or two. | did not
want the wife. but there was he chance that
Would lie cheaper for me to buy one otte lea and
break the case than 10 buy the whole case FOR
him. So ! bought one hotIe. Pretty soon
after that tod him that no bet ought 10 stand
forever he had had Il year TO take up my offer
and had not done so and il was about time to
gall II on He agreed with me that it would
!, Besides the l%lS have the same wine IN
the ISL and ISIS vintages. | am asked
reached stage at which they begin to lie
teriorate. or course they 20 so for instance
the Johnnnisuerger % is, not as good as it la?
been. IL is still, II superb wine. a wonderful
4 is in now Where the ~ ana 81 vntages
they now are listed ON the Manhattan Club list
rat rather IVWer' | have some lsauenthaer %
The highest pri"ed Kline V vine on the Man
,attan CIuh,s list is it9nenthaler Berg. Berren-
ssI to sS S at FL Shs
a SD. IN contrast with which the price on the
Manhattan Club list. 81. is "a graphic iustra-
set on old wines. This restaurant has six vines
,arying ~ price from So to so and in date
Justice Truax's cellar is well stocked with
Bordeaux Among:the wines OIL his list are
", Chn'e4 Latte. :" Gha,sau Cos d,EstoHr
-. - and ~ Chateau MarGanX. Chateau La.
f'e. Chateau !.a,our and II md ~ Chateau
Haul Orion. 70 Grenatd La Rose Baron Sar-
get. - rirhot longuevie and ~. 90 and
a Chateau luusm. All u these were bottled
at the chateau.
out Of these the highest priced claret" said
Justice Truax in discussing tho list. is the
Chateau Haul Br!on. bottled at the chateau
j is quoted in Bordeaux to-day. | believe. az
10 francs and is on the LIST Of one 81 the big
hotels here at So; n bottle. The Manhattan
club had twenty-iiv cases Of il n few years
ago. II was marked on the list Mt 1910
went abroad in 1880. During n visit At Paris
! break tasted with some friends at the Lion
d'Or. noticed the best claret on the list there
was the Chateau MnrgauN -. called the
proprietor. whom ] knew and who was super
intending tho breakfast.
Why don't You have some Haut Bron
'11E ] asked him
:, 1t is 100 expensive. he said. we cannot
sell it here
- III my club in New York said to him.
we have twentv-l five cases OF it which We can
have Tor So - ii bottle
He seemed greatly astonished and said Mt
once that he woul1 gladly BAY twice as much
for il in New York. IL was then quoted al 30
or 80 francs in Paris. At the first onvenient
OpportLnitv ] sent Il cablsgram to the club
telling them to double the price OF that wine
II wa! At. once Iut at,S1.5u. but when | re.
trrned II had almost all Of It been used at the
INCREASED price II is very remarkable claret.