Michael Broadbent, founder and director of the wine department at Christie`s, the London auction house, probably has sold-and, more important, tasted-more of the world`s great wines than any other human.
Yet while in Chicago to oversee a wine auction to benefit Lyric Opera earlier this month, he was acting like any other human. And as he worried about the whereabouts of his gavel, Broadbent sipped Champagne and commented, ”Wonderful fuel.”
He found time to talk about his book, ”The New Great Vintage Wine Book” (Knopf, $40), an extensively revised and updated edition of a book published a decade ago and an unduplicatable commentary on the wines Broadbent has tasted.
Pick any year! How about 1892, a century ago? Broadbent writes about three wines from that vintage, giving Chateau Latour four stars for its
”incredibly rich color, bouquet and flavor.”
There`s a practical side, too. He rates current wines through the 1990 vintage in Bordeaux and Burgundy.
”It`s been interesting to see how the wines have developed,” he says
”I`ve changed my mind on one or two things and resolved some questions.
”I think it possible we will look back on the `80s as the most wonderful decade of all,” he says regarding wine, ”including the 1920s and the pre-phylloxera vintages (of the 19th Century).
”The cause isn`t just good weather and good winemakers. Consumers played a role, demanding the best, comparing, forcing wineries to compete to keep up. ”But this golden era may be ending. In a prolonged recession it just doesn`t pay to put so many resources into producing wine.”
