Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/595716
114 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • H O L I D A Y 2 0 1 5 and Casanova sommelier Jeff Birkmeier. No one knows what to expect after a cen- tury-long slumber. Wines can evolve in the bottle. Defects become more pronounced. The wine's once-vibrant fruit can become des- iccated, its acidity dulled by time. Invading bac- teria could make it smell like a barnyard. The cork could fail, allowing the wine to oxidize and die. Ideally, it has matured beautifully to become more complex: a rare treasure. The bottle has lost its original label, replaced by one applied by Christie's Auction House to guarantee its provenance (although the exact grower remains unknown). The outer glass has a yellowed, dusty-moldy patina. Inside are two dis- tinct, elongated "stains" from tannic sentiment as the bottle rested twice for long periods (pre- sumably once in Musigny and again in Carmel).