Osler's Razor

1) 1989 Pomerol Chateau De Sales

For some reason I cannot remember, one day in the early 90's I splurged and bought a bottle of 1989 Chateau de Sales (it cost a fortune to me at the time). I set it away in my parents' basement, and every year at Christmas I go down and look at it and the few other bottles of excellent vintage I have hidden away there.

Last night, I opened it and shared it with my parents. I pulled the cork and decanted it, and took a little taste right then; the fullness of it was overwhelming, and the finish went on forever. By the time dinner was served it was sublime and beautiful, smooth and full. The color of plums, it did not last long enough. It was perhaps the best wine I have ever had.

Time of expiration: 7 pm EST

2) Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX30 with Leica lens

This was by far the best camera I ever owned. Nearly all the pictures that have appeared on this blog were taken with this camera (the photo above I took with my iPhone). It died when my mom accidentally knocked the camera off a shelf.

Time of expiration: 5 pm EST

You may have noticed that I shared my wine with my parents after my mom killed the camera. That timing was no accident.

There was this split-second, when I saw that the camera no longer worked, that I was upset. The lens was stuck in the extended position and nothing was happening. I knew that it had taken its last picture.

But, it was only a split-second. Then I remembered the first camera I ever had, a large body Canon my father shared with me when he had moved on to a better camera himself. He taught me to take light readings, and my mother would often point out the time of day when the light was most beautiful. After that came a flood of other cameras and pictures that were unified by one thing-- my parents' sense that beauty is all around us and only need to be positioned in the viewfinder. I took pictures everywhere I went, and was always encouraged by them. That will always be with me.

The thing about wine is that you can age it, but it will not be there for you forever. You do not know when it will turn to vinegar; it's a secret held tight in the molecules inside the bottle. You come home from work one day, open it up, and it is no longer there. You waited too long, maybe waiting for some special day-- the same way we wait for a special day to say something to the people we love, to forgive a grievance, to share something rare. But... wine is a living thing, and it will turn; we do not know the day or hour.

Tonight we drank it, together, and it was perfect.