12 December 1970

This unlikely book is begun [and ended] on the occasion of a somewhat pretentious wine tasting party held this date at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Shanklin in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Guests were Mr. and Mrs. Ivar Reinvang and Rasmus (milk was his fare), Miss Ellen Lloyd and Mr. Denis Trover, Miss Sarah ____ and Mr. Wesley Akutagawa, and Miss Martha Nesselbush and myself. Our spiritual leader was Mr. Fred Smith, négociant à Beaune, and wine merchant in Cambridge.

I designate the event pretentious because all of us were largely ignorant of the many subtleties of wines and wine tasting, yet we undertook to drink nine bottles of wine worth in the neighborhood of $110–. The entry price for the party was set at one bottle worth $20– or more or two bottles, one costing $10– or more and the other $5– or more.

The resulting selection included three Premiers Grands Crus, one equally ranked but lying outside the Médoc, several lesser lights, and one cheap wine to give a comparison. Several districts and communes of Bordeaux were represented with selections coming from several years. However, the years and areas were not widely differentiated so as to provide a fully satisfactory basis for comparison. For instance, there were three Margaux and two Pessacs with none from St. Emilion and some of the lesser communes.