I have a bottle of wine with label
GRAND VIN
DE
CHATEAU LATOUR
PREMIER GRAND CRU CLASSE
APPELLATION PAUILLAC CONTROLEE
PAUILLAC-MEDOC
1959
MIS EN BOUTEILLES AU CHATEAU

Societe Civile Du Vignoble De Chateau Latour
Proprietaire A Pauillac - Gironde

This bottle was given to my husband and me many years ago by Al
Braunstein when he completely changed careers and started Diamond Creek
Vineyards. He had just returned from France. Al said to keep the bottle
because some day it would be valuable.

How valuable is this bottle, do you think? Is there a market for such a
bottle and if so, how would I go about selling? It has been kept in a
wine rack located in a cool, dim, unheated location.

My thanks.

Miki

IF this Chateau Latour 1959 has been stored under perfect conditions,
you have a very valuable wine. It should have been stored under 60 F
always and best at abot 50 to 55 F. There should not have been
temperature variations by more than a few degrees from the average in
the short or long term. What is the level of the wine below the cork? If
it is in the neck or up to just a little below the top of the shoulder
of the bottle, this is normal. If it is near the middle of the shoulder
or below, this is a warning signal and would greatly reduce the resale
value. Also any evidence of leaking will greatly reduce the resale
value.

Michael Broadbent rated this wine with his very rare 6-star rating(his
scale stops at 5-star) in 2000. He thought it would continue to mature
for about a quarter century.

Under perfect conditions, this wine might bring a few thousand dollars
US. You need to consult a major wine auction house rather than an online
seller. They can consult with you about the condition of the wine, let
you know if they are interested, and give you an estimate of what the
wine might sell for at auction. I am guessing you are in the US. If not,
let us know so those from other countries can give you suggestions about
auctions in your country. Some of the major auctions in the US are
Zacky's, Aulden Cellars/Sotheby's, NYWines/Christie's, Acker Merrall &
Condit, Edward Roberts International, The Chicago Wine Company. I only
have phone numbers for three - perhaps other can fill in the missing
ones. Also some will have web stes.

Christie's 212 636 2000 (New York);

Acker Merrall & Lynch (New York) 877 225 3747

The Chicago Wine Company 847 295 8789

Reply to .

Cwdjrx _ wrote:
> IF this Chateau Latour 1959 has been stored under perfect conditions,
> you have a very valuable wine. It should have been stored under 60 F
> always and best at abot 50 to 55 F. There should not have been
> temperature variations by more than a few degrees from the average in
> the short or long term. What is the level of the wine below the cork?
If
> it is in the neck or up to just a little below the top of the
shoulder
> of the bottle, this is normal. If it is near the middle of the
shoulder
> or below, this is a warning signal and would greatly reduce the
resale
> value. Also any evidence of leaking will greatly reduce the resale
> value.
>

Cwdjrx -- I greatly appreciate your reply and the information therein.

Re the level of the wine below the cork -- it is not in the neck; it is
in the shoulder, but I do not know exactly what would be called the
middle of the shoulder. The level measures about 3/4" below where the
neck begins to curve into the shoulder. There is absolutely no leakage.

I am in California and there are several highly thought of wine shops
that specialize in supplying private wine cellars in the area. I can
take the bottle over to one of them to get an opinion on the level and
the condition of the bottle.

My thanks.

Miki

I looked at www.wine-searcher.com . Chateau Latour 1959 in good
condition is selling for about US$ 1000 to 2000 per bottle. The lower
prices tend to be at auctions and the higher prices at carriage trade
wine shops. Some of these wine shops buy their old wines at auction, so
they have to mark up the price they paid quite a bit. Most auctions have
a seller's and a buyer's premium charge, so you of course get less than
the wine sold for at auction. So if you do sell at aucton, be sure to
ask how much of the final sale price you will receive. Also keep in mind
that, in the US, you will have to pay a capital gains tax. For art
objects, wine, and such, this remains at the higher rate that was
reduced for most things several years ago.

Reply to .

Cwdjrx _ wrote:
> I looked at www.wine-searcher.com . Chateau Latour 1959 in good
> condition is selling for about US$ 1000 to 2000 per bottle. The lower
> prices tend to be at auctions and the higher prices at carriage trade
> wine shops. Some of these wine shops buy their old wines at auction,
so
> they have to mark up the price they paid quite a bit. Most auctions
have
> a seller's and a buyer's premium charge, so you of course get less
than
> the wine sold for at auction. So if you do sell at aucton, be sure to
> ask how much of the final sale price you will receive. Also keep in
mind
> that, in the US, you will have to pay a capital gains tax. For art
> objects, wine, and such, this remains at the higher rate that was
> reduced for most things several years ago.
>
> Reply to .

Cwdjrx -- thank you again......for the website and the choices I have.
And then there is definitely the capital gains tax to consider, painful
as it may be. In California, capital gains tax is 25 percent when
selling a house.......I have no idea if it is the same for art objects,
wine and such. Donating is a better way to go.........but to what
charity would one donate a bottle of Chateau Latour 1959 ?

I will keep y'all posted on how I come out with my bottle

Miki

Cwdjrx _ wrote:
> I looked at www.wine-searcher.com . Chateau Latour 1959 in good
> condition is selling for about US$ 1000 to 2000 per bottle. The lower
> prices tend to be at auctions and the higher prices at carriage trade
> wine shops. Some of these wine shops buy their old wines at auction,
so
> they have to mark up the price they paid quite a bit. Most auctions
have
> a seller's and a buyer's premium charge, so you of course get less
than
> the wine sold for at auction. So if you do sell at aucton, be sure to
> ask how much of the final sale price you will receive. Also keep in
mind
> that, in the US, you will have to pay a capital gains tax. For art
> objects, wine, and such, this remains at the higher rate that was
> reduced for most things several years ago.
>
> Reply to .

Cwdjrx -- Thank you again for the website and the choices available for
selling. And there is definitely the capital gains tax to
consider......painful as it may be. Donating art objects to charity is
a good way to go for tax deductions (if one can consider Chateau Latour
an art object I cannot think of a charity that would have need for
Chateau Latour 1959; however, I could donate the wine to a charity
auction.


Miki

On 17 Apr 2005 00:23:00 -0700, said:

] Cwdjrx _ wrote:
] > I looked at www.wine-searcher.com . Chateau Latour 1959 in good
] > condition is selling for about US$ 1000 to 2000 per bottle. The lower
] > prices tend to be at auctions and the higher prices at carriage trade
] > wine shops. Some of these wine shops buy their old wines at auction,
] so
] > they have to mark up the price they paid quite a bit. Most auctions
] have
] > a seller's and a buyer's premium charge, so you of course get less
] than
] > the wine sold for at auction. So if you do sell at aucton, be sure to
] > ask how much of the final sale price you will receive. Also keep in
] mind
] > that, in the US, you will have to pay a capital gains tax. For art
] > objects, wine, and such, this remains at the higher rate that was
] > reduced for most things several years ago.
] >
] > Reply to .
]
] Cwdjrx -- Thank you again for the website and the choices available for
] selling. And there is definitely the capital gains tax to
] consider......painful as it may be. Donating art objects to charity is
] a good way to go for tax deductions (if one can consider Chateau Latour
] an art object I cannot think of a charity that would have need for
] Chateau Latour 1959; however, I could donate the wine to a charity
] auction.
]
Hi Miki,

You can definitely deduct the Latour. What's more, my guess is that you could
use the higher of a "fair market valuation" by a specialty realtor and the actual
selling price. (Of course to be confirmed with your accountant!)

Who remembers the name of the big annual Napa CA charity auction? This
might be a real bomb (in the good, modern sense) there.

And, wouldn't it be kind of neat to know your bottle finished in the hands of
some big celeb, and helped a good cause?

-E

--
Emery Davis
You can reply to
by removing the well known companies

In article . com>, memiki@aol
..com says...
>
>Cwdjrx _ wrote:
>> I looked at www.wine-searcher.com . Chateau Latour 1959 in good
>> condition is selling for about US$ 1000 to 2000 per bottle. The lower
>> prices tend to be at auctions and the higher prices at carriage trade
>> wine shops. Some of these wine shops buy their old wines at auction,
>so
>> they have to mark up the price they paid quite a bit. Most auctions
>have
>> a seller's and a buyer's premium charge, so you of course get less
>than
>> the wine sold for at auction. So if you do sell at aucton, be sure to
>> ask how much of the final sale price you will receive. Also keep in
>mind
>> that, in the US, you will have to pay a capital gains tax. For art
>> objects, wine, and such, this remains at the higher rate that was
>> reduced for most things several years ago.
>>
>> Reply to .
>
>Cwdjrx -- Thank you again for the website and the choices available for
>selling. And there is definitely the capital gains tax to
>consider......painful as it may be. Donating art objects to charity is
>a good way to go for tax deductions (if one can consider Chateau Latour
>an art object I cannot think of a charity that would have need for
>Chateau Latour 1959; however, I could donate the wine to a charity
>auction.
>
>
>Miki

If you do go the charity/auction route (and CA has several that would be
likely candidates and worthy causes), I'll bet that Al & Boots would love to
add one of the DC collectibles to the lot, especially since Al gave you the
bottle, in the first place. Another idea would be to say "the heck" with the $
value of the wine and host a dinner for the Braunsteins (if Al's health holds
up), where you serve this wine. Either way, I think you would be a winner.

Hunt

Hunt wrote:
> In article . com>,
memiki@aol
> .com says...
> >
> >Cwdjrx _ wrote:
> >> I looked at www.wine-searcher.com . Chateau Latour 1959 in good
> >> condition is selling for about US$ 1000 to 2000 per bottle. The
lower
> >> prices tend to be at auctions and the higher prices at carriage
trade
> >> wine shops. Some of these wine shops buy their old wines at
auction,
> >so
> >> they have to mark up the price they paid quite a bit. Most
auctions
> >have
> >> a seller's and a buyer's premium charge, so you of course get less
> >than
> >> the wine sold for at auction. So if you do sell at aucton, be sure
to
> >> ask how much of the final sale price you will receive. Also keep
in
> >mind
> >> that, in the US, you will have to pay a capital gains tax. For art
> >> objects, wine, and such, this remains at the higher rate that was
> >> reduced for most things several years ago.
> >>
> >> Reply to .
> >
> >Cwdjrx -- Thank you again for the website and the choices available
for
> >selling. And there is definitely the capital gains tax to
> >consider......painful as it may be. Donating art objects to charity
is
> >a good way to go for tax deductions (if one can consider Chateau
Latour
> >an art object I cannot think of a charity that would have need
for
> >Chateau Latour 1959; however, I could donate the wine to a charity
> >auction.
> >
> >
> >Miki
>
> If you do go the charity/auction route (and CA has several that would
be
> likely candidates and worthy causes), I'll bet that Al & Boots would
love to
> add one of the DC collectibles to the lot, especially since Al gave
you the
> bottle, in the first place. Another idea would be to say "the heck"
with the $
> value of the wine and host a dinner for the Braunsteins (if Al's
health holds
> up), where you serve this wine. Either way, I think you would be a
winner.
>
> Hunt

Hi Hunt -- I like both your ideas! It sounds as if you know Al & Boots
personally. It would take a lot of memory refreshing for them to
remember my husband and me as we go back to the time Al was still
connected with the business of Beauty Supplies (if I remember
correctly) and before he married Boots. My husband was in a situation
to be of some help to Al in his former business. However, I knew Boots
before they married and before they met.

It was fascinating to know someone who took such a drastic
career-direction change, married, moved away from Los Angeles and
founded a vineyard. It took courage and determination and the
willingness to take risks. It is an amazing story. From what I recall,
it all began for Al with wine-tasting classes at UCLA and a trip to
France.

I kept the Chateau Latour because the story behind it was so
special......but
I am in the process of downsizing from a large home to a smaller one
now and need to break somewhat from the past.

Miki

Emery Davis wrote:
> On 17 Apr 2005 00:23:00 -0700, said:
>
> ] Cwdjrx _ wrote:
> ] > I looked at www.wine-searcher.com . Chateau Latour 1959 in good
> ] > condition is selling for about US$ 1000 to 2000 per bottle. The
lower
> ] > prices tend to be at auctions and the higher prices at carriage
trade
> ] > wine shops. Some of these wine shops buy their old wines at
auction,
> ] so
> ] > they have to mark up the price they paid quite a bit. Most
auctions
> ] have
> ] > a seller's and a buyer's premium charge, so you of course get
less
> ] than
> ] > the wine sold for at auction. So if you do sell at aucton, be
sure to
> ] > ask how much of the final sale price you will receive. Also keep
in
> ] mind
> ] > that, in the US, you will have to pay a capital gains tax. For
art
> ] > objects, wine, and such, this remains at the higher rate that was
> ] > reduced for most things several years ago.
> ] >
> ] > Reply to .
> ]
> ] Cwdjrx -- Thank you again for the website and the choices available
for
> ] selling. And there is definitely the capital gains tax to
> ] consider......painful as it may be. Donating art objects to charity
is
> ] a good way to go for tax deductions (if one can consider Chateau
Latour
> ] an art object I cannot think of a charity that would have need
for
> ] Chateau Latour 1959; however, I could donate the wine to a charity
> ] auction.
> ]
> Hi Miki,
>
> You can definitely deduct the Latour. What's more, my guess is that
you could
> use the higher of a "fair market valuation" by a specialty realtor
and the actual
> selling price. (Of course to be confirmed with your accountant!)
>
> Who remembers the name of the big annual Napa CA charity auction?
This
> might be a real bomb (in the good, modern sense) there.
>
> And, wouldn't it be kind of neat to know your bottle finished in the
hands of
> some big celeb, and helped a good cause?
>
> -E
>
> --
> Emery Davis
> You can reply to

Hi Emery -- First, I think I need to bring the Chateau Latour to a wine
merchant to get an opinion on the condition of the bottle -- it might
not be an absolute judgment, but better than mine. It should not be too
difficult to find a charity auction....although Google shows older
ones, they will help me to make a connection if I decide to donate.

Thank you for replying to my post.....I appreciate.

Miki

Young Martle wrote:
> On 17 Apr 2005 00:07:08 -0700, wrote:
>
> >wine and such. Donating is a better way to go.........but to what
> >charity would one donate a bottle of Chateau Latour 1959 ?
> >
>
>
> Newfoundlanders Obsessed With Wine ( NOWW ) would be a good one!
>
> email for details. :-)

Young Martle -- Seriously ?

Miki