The Journal
Written from the cellar floor.
Not pairing guides. What we bought and why, what a bottle’s condition actually tells you, what happens when a collection changes hands, and what we are seeing in the market — from a merchant who has to be right about it.
August 4, 2026
The Montalcino Cellar: one owner, four decades
Twelve parcels of Biondi-Santi Riserva from a single private cellar, 1982 to 2020 — and what buying a collection whole lets us tell you that buying bottles never can.
August 1, 2026
What actually happens when you sell a cellar
Most people sell a collection once. Here is the whole process, the three routes and what each really nets — written down, because almost nobody in this trade publishes it.
July 27, 2026
What a fill level actually tells you
Ullage is the most useful number on any older bottle, and the most commonly fudged. Here is how to read it, and what we will not pretend it means.