Volume 72: Macarthur family correspondence relating to wine, 1846-1900: No. 288

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[Page 288]

was so frail a nature that it improves only on the spot.  Delicious at one time, the 1847, were cried up, by the germans & the amateurs of flavoury wines, unaccustomed to the out turn of what are called English wines by us, & vins [J'enportation?] by the french & german houses.  Not so the 1846, these were thought & by the above parties cried down, as hard wines; likely to be of a rough taste & all that.  We judged of them quite otherwise & laid in a stock not only of our own growths; but of others, & after 14 years those wines are perfect, and are worth now the Laugoa 8 francs pr bottle & the Leonville 10 fr.  But very few are left and nothing remains to be compared to them but the 1848's which are even dearer & are a shade superior but in the interim the german houses have sold their 1847.  A public sale took place of these wines the other day, on the death of Mr Dufour, the Ex mayor of Bordeaux & the Chateau Margaux 1848 sold 13.75c pr bottled  the Leonville Barton 11.50c the Larose 10fr 50c & the Laugoa 9fr. 
The results of such prices which you allude to, is exactly what you surmised so far back as

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