I Bought Me Some Wine

I'm a poor soul. I can only afford to buy a small portion of the wine I write and read about. This is probably a good thing, since I can't afford the cellar I would need to put the wine in. But every now and then I make an investment and lay some bottles down. Last December, I bought some Merry Edwards and Gary Ferrell Russian River Valley pinot noirs and I'm trying to be a good boy and not drink them for a few years.

This week I made another small contribution to moi petite collection. I've been driven made with desire ever since reports came out about the superlative 2005 German riesling vintage. I wanted to rush out and buy case upon case of Donnhoff, J.J. Prum et al. But, alas, the wallet would not allow such extravagance. A few bottles, yes, but no cases.

So, I went to Crush, which has a great German selection and bought a few bottles. And wine vampires had already snatched up all the Donnhoff. But others remained, and, really, you can't lose with the 2005s, if the wine is from a quality producer. Crush likes Zilliken and Willi Schaefer and J.J. Prum, and what's not to like? I claimed an Auslese from the under-celebrated Zilliken and a Spatlese from the tiny Schaefer. They're mine,I tell you, all mine!

A staffer also talked me into a 1989 Auslese from Bert Simon. Most were spoken for, but he had one to spare. And I couldn't complain about the price ($38). So, three bottles. What can I say? It's what I can do. Now begins the long waiting process. I'll be drinking fine in 2017.