30 Days of Thomas Jefferson on Wine – Final Thoughts

Day 1 – Thomas Jefferson, A Primer
Day 2 – The First Wine of Record, Claret
Day 3 – Jefferson and Madeira
Day 4 – Jefferson’s Favorite Wines Available Today
Day 5 – Monticello Pictorial
Day 6 – Monticello Vineyards
Day 7 – The Monticello Cellar
Day 8 – Thomas Jefferson—Orchardist and Cidermaker (Part 1)
Day 9 – Quotable Jefferson
Day 10 – The Curious Philip Mazzei
Day 11 – Jefferson Vineyards
Day 12 – What Would Jefferson Think?
Day 13 - Thomas Jefferson—Cidermaker and Scientist-Farmer (Part 2)
Day 14 – Jefferson in Paris - A Pictorial of his Travels
Day 15 – Jefferson in Paris - Pictorial
Day 16 - Jefferson’s Wine Travels Through France and Italy
Day 17 - Jefferson’s Memorandum Notes on Journey Through France and Italy
Day 18 - Monticello Wine Festival
Day 19 - Jefferson in France, Thoughts on Bordeaux
Day 20 - Jefferson’s Paris Wine Cellar
Day 21 - Jefferson in Burgundy – Random Notes
Day 22 - Germany and Champagne, Jefferson’s Route
Day 23 - Jefferson in Champagne
Day 24 – Jefferson, The Wine Consultant
Day 25 – President Jefferson and Wine, How Much Did Jefferson Spend On Wine?
Day 26 – President Jefferson, Wine Factoid
Day 27 - Wines Provided at Washington
Day 28 - Retirement, The Vintage Years
Day 29 – Jefferson and The Billionaire’s Vinegar

Day 30 – Final Thoughts, Jefferson’s Last Letter, The End

Today marks day 30, the final post in the ‘30 Days of Thomas Jefferson on Wine’ series.  I will end the series as I began it, by noting that I am not a Jefferson scholar, and this 30-day series could not possibly provide complete coverage of Jefferson’s full range of wine experiences.  I’ll leave the in-depth analysis and reporting to historians and authors who have spent years of their lives studying the remarkable life of our nations first oenophile.

My motivation for undertaking this endeavor of 30 Days of Jefferson on Wine is primarily for my own self-education. Personally, I learn more when I collect and organize my thoughts in written form, and the last 30 days represents my attempt to organize information I’ve gleaned over the last few months from reading a number of books on Thomas Jefferson.

Though this series was primarily a selfish endeavor, I truly hope that others following the series have found some (or all) of the posts educational.  I think most wine enthusiasts are aware of Jefferson’s strong interest in wine, but I hope that I shared a few Jeffersonian wine factoids that readers may not have otherwise learned.

Since June, I’ve read four books on the life, times and wine of Thomas Jefferson, along with hundreds of letters and notes in The Writings of Thomas Jefferson (via Google Books online).  With each book or letter, I found myself in a constant state of amazement at Jefferson’s range of curiosities and capacity for details.

Through out his life, Jefferson maintained meticulous cellar records, some of which I’ve shared as part of this series.  As part of the day 7 post I provided Jefferson’s last cellar list, made months before his death.

As an adjunct to Jefferson’s last cellar list – to ‘celebrate’ the final post in this series – below is the final letter Jefferson wrote.  It’s fitting that Jefferson’s last letter was about wine.  Written on June 25, 1826, three weeks before his death, Jefferson wrote to his agent Bernard Peyton directing him to pay 18 dollars for duties and shipping for his annual supply of wines from southern France.

It’s clear from this letter that Jefferson was restocking his cellar and had intentions of living much longer.

Though I consider this 30-day series a success from a personal standpoint, I leave this series unfinished, as I wasn’t able to cover the full range of topics I initially planned to:

• Jefferson’s renewed interest in his Monticello vineyards during his retirement
• Jefferson on beer
• Jefferson’s planned brewery at Monticello
• The Wine Company formed by Philip Mazzei that included partners Thomas Jefferson and George Washington
• More of Jefferson’s wine related letters
• More coverage of Jefferson’s influence on his fellow Founding Fathers

Since I have eight Jefferson on wine posts ‘in process,’ I will likely finish each of them over the course of the next couple of months and post them as time permits.

Before wrapping up, I would like to thank several people who gave their time unselfishly for lengthy conversations.  A special thanks to Chad Zakaib of Jefferson Vineyards for giving up a Sunday morning to meet with me for a tour and history lesson on the land that formally belonged to Jefferson, and to Gabriele Rausse, winemaker at Monticello, who spent an entire afternoon with my wife and I touring the vineyards of Monticello.  I especially appreciate Gabriele’s patience with me as I deluged him with follow up questions via email.

I also appreciate the scholars and authors who have dedicated years of their lives studying the life of Thomas Jefferson.  Hat tip to Jim Gabler, author of Passions – The Wines and Travels of Thomas Jefferson, and to John Hailman, author of the epic ‘Thomas Jefferson on Wine‘ for their comprehensive coverage of Thomas Jefferson’s wine experiences. Both of their books kept me company many late nights through the summer months and proved invaluable references during this series.

I leave this series not only with a little more knowledge, but also with a renewed respect for a man that lived a ‘full’ life.  In addition to his many notable accomplishments – President, architect, revolutionary, statesmen, philosopher, inventor, and musician – I consider Jefferson The Great Enigma.

The end. Thank you.

__________________________________

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Random Observations? Contact Me Here

__________________________________

30 Days of Thomas Jefferson on Wine – Day 27

Day 1 – Thomas Jefferson, A Primer
Day 2 – The First Wine of Record, Claret
Day 3 – Jefferson and Madeira
Day 4 – Jefferson’s Favorite Wines Available Today
Day 5 – Monticello Pictorial
Day 6 – Monticello Vineyards
Day 7 – The Monticello Cellar
Day 8 – Thomas Jefferson—Orchardist and Cidermaker (Part 1)
Day 9 – Quotable Jefferson
Day 10 – The Curious Philip Mazzei
Day 11 – Jefferson Vineyards
Day 12 – What Would Jefferson Think?
Day 13 - Thomas Jefferson—Cidermaker and Scientist-Farmer (Part 2)
Day 14 – Jefferson in Paris - A Pictorial of his Travels
Day 15 – Jefferson in Paris - Pictorial
Day 16 - Jefferson’s Wine Travels Through France and Italy
Day 17 - Jefferson’s Memorandum Notes on Journey Through France and Italy
Day 18 - Monticello Wine Festival
Day 19 - Jefferson in France, Thoughts on Bordeaux
Day 20 - Jefferson’s Paris Wine Cellar
Day 21 - Jefferson in Burgundy – Random Notes
Day 22 - Germany and Champagne, Jefferson’s Route
Day 23 - Jefferson in Champagne
Day 24 – Jefferson, The Wine Consultant
Day 25 – President Jefferson and Wine, How Much Did Jefferson Spend On Wine?
Day 26 – President Jefferson, Wine Factoid

Day 27 – Wines Provided at Washington

‘Immediately after entering the President’s House, Jefferson began an extraordinary series of dinner parties at which wine drinking and talk of wine were major features. Like his contemporary, the devious French minister Talleyrand and his ‘Champagne diplomacy,’ Jefferson tried to warm his guests with fine wines, then used the convivial atmosphere to create better political and diplomatic relations, both with foreign powers and his own domestic friends and foes.’ ~ Hailman, 258

As the ‘30 days of Thomas Jefferson on Wine‘ series is quickly winding down, today’s post will be the final piece on wine in the Jefferson Presidency.  Sadly, today’s post, coupled with the preceding two, barely touches on Jefferson’s wine experiences during his time as President.  I could spend the next year covering the wines Jefferson shared with his guests at the President’s House in the years 1801 to 1809 – amazing times, company, and letters capturing the details of the dinner conversations.

When Jefferson was elected President, he had wine vaults constructed below the east colonnade to store his considerable wine collection.  This area is no longer used for the purpose of storing wine. One could easily argue that the stature of wine in the White House has deteriorated since the age of Jefferson, as there is no ‘official’ White House wine cellar today (but there is a ‘collection’ of about 500 bottles of wine there).

Like most of his letters and notes, Jefferson’s writings on wine during his Presidency make for fascinating reading. If nothing else, I hope these tidbits of Jefferson wine information serve as motivation for a few folks to pick up Hailman’s ‘Thomas Jefferson on Wine’ or check out the Monticello wiki to read about wine in the President’s House (now call The White House).

One of the more diverse wine years during Jefferson’s Presidency was 1803.  Wine Provided at Washington, 1803:

As further proof that no detail was beyond his observation, not only did Jefferson record the wines purchased along with amount paid, he also noted how the wine was packed, shipped, any breakage, how it was shipped and by whom, cost of freight and duties along with the name of the tax collector.

By the end of his Presidency, Jefferson was more than ready to leave the world of politics behind him and retire to ‘his home’ – Monticello.  Before leaving office, Jefferson had shipped most of his remaining wine to Monticello to enjoy during his retirement years, leaving the White House cellar nearly empty.

Day 28 – Wine and Jefferson’s Retirement Years

_____________________

Sources:
Thomas Jefferson on Wine, Hailman, John

__________________________________

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Random Observations? Contact Me Here

__________________________________

30 Days of Thomas Jefferson on Wine – Day 25

Day 1 – Thomas Jefferson, A Primer
Day 2 – The First Wine of Record, Claret
Day 3 – Jefferson and Madeira
Day 4 – Jefferson’s Favorite Wines Available Today
Day 5 – Monticello Pictorial
Day 6 – Monticello Vineyards
Day 7 – The Monticello Cellar
Day 8 – Thomas Jefferson—Orchardist and Cidermaker (Part 1)
Day 9 – Quotable Jefferson
Day 10 – The Curious Philip Mazzei
Day 11 – Jefferson Vineyards
Day 12 – What Would Jefferson Think?
Day 13 - Thomas Jefferson—Cidermaker and Scientist-Farmer (Part 2)
Day 14 – Jefferson in Paris - A Pictorial of his Travels
Day 15 – Jefferson in Paris - Pictorial
Day 16 - Jefferson’s Wine Travels Through France and Italy
Day 17 - Jefferson’s Memorandum Notes on Journey Through France and Italy
Day 18 - Monticello Wine Festival
Day 19 - Jefferson in France, Thoughts on Bordeaux
Day 20 - Jefferson’s Paris Wine Cellar
Day 21 - Jefferson in Burgundy – Random Notes
Day 22 - Germany and Champagne, Jefferson’s Route
Day 23 - Jefferson in Champagne
Day 24 – Jefferson, The Wine Consultant

Day 25 – President Jefferson and Wine, How Much Did Jefferson Spend On Wine?

Thomas Jefferson served as President for two terms, from 1801 to 1809. As President, Jefferson’s annual salary was $25,000. According to Hailman’s Jefferson on Wine, Jefferson spent $3,200 per year on wine during his first term, which equates to roughly 13% of his annual salary.

Throughout his eight years as President, Jefferson spent over $16,500 on wine, roughly 9% of his salary over the course of his eight years in office.  (What percentage of your annual income do you spend on wine?)

To put Jefferson’s wine expenditures in to context, I used the Consumer Price Index (CPI) calculator available at Measuring Worth to determine Jefferson’s salary and expenditures in today’s dollars (2009).  Jefferson’s annual salary of $25,000 equates to roughly $435,000 in today’s dollars based on the CPI, which equates to roughly $3,480,000 in total earnings during his eight years as President (in 2009 dollars).  Assuming the CPI calculation is reasonably correct, Jefferson spent the equivalent of roughly $300,000 in today’s dollars on wine during his eight years at President.  That’s a lot of wine – in just eight years – by most any standard!

In tomorrow’s post, I will explore Jefferson’s Presidential wine cellar in more detail…

_____________________

Sources:
Thomas Jefferson on Wine, Hailman, John

__________________________________

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Random Observations? Contact Me Here

__________________________________

30 Days of Thomas Jefferson on Wine – Day 24

Day 1 – Thomas Jefferson, A Primer
Day 2 – The First Wine of Record, Claret
Day 3 – Jefferson and Madeira
Day 4 – Jefferson’s Favorite Wines Available Today
Day 5 – Monticello Pictorial
Day 6 – Monticello Vineyards
Day 7 – The Monticello Cellar
Day 8 – Thomas Jefferson—Orchardist and Cidermaker (Part 1)
Day 9 – Quotable Jefferson
Day 10 – The Curious Philip Mazzei
Day 11 – Jefferson Vineyards
Day 12 – What Would Jefferson Think?
Day 13 - Thomas Jefferson—Cidermaker and Scientist-Farmer (Part 2)
Day 14 – Jefferson in Paris - A Pictorial of his Travels
Day 15 – Jefferson in Paris - Pictorial
Day 16 - Jefferson’s Wine Travels Through France and Italy
Day 17 - Jefferson’s Memorandum Notes on Journey Through France and Italy
Day 18 - Monticello Wine Festival
Day 19 - Jefferson in France, Thoughts on Bordeaux
Day 20 - Jefferson’s Paris Wine Cellar
Day 21 - Jefferson in Burgundy – Random Notes
Day 22 - Germany and Champagne, Jefferson’s Route
Day 23 – Jefferson in Champagne

Day 24 – Jefferson, The Wine Consultant

‘We return like foreigners, and like them require a considerable residence here to become Americanized.’ ~ Th: Jefferson on returning to America after five years in France.

On September 26, 1789, after living in Paris for five years, Jefferson and his daughters departed for America.  After weeks of weather delays, the Jefferson’s arrived in Norfolk, VA on November 23, 1789. Upon arriving in the port of Norfolk, they learned that President George Washington had proposed Jefferson for the position of Secretary of State.

I will resist the urge to turn this post in to a history lesson, and will stick to wine – although difficult because there is so much information to share about this time in Jefferson’s life as he would soon ascend to the Vice Presidency and then Presidency.

On February 14, 1790 Jefferson accepted his new appointment, and officially assumed the office of Secretary of State under President Washington on March 22, 1790. Sadly, Jefferson would never return to France.

The excerpt below from Jefferson to Philip Mazzei, summarizes Jefferson’s thoughts on his time as Secretary of State:

I am in an office of infinite labor, and as disagreeable to me as it is laborious. I came into it utterly against my will, and under the cogency of arguments derived from the novelty of the government, the necessity of it’s setting out well. But I pant after Monticello and my family, and cannot let it be long before I join them.

Though Jefferson was busy with official duties, he took on the role as wine consultant to President Washington during his tenure as Secretary of State.  Jefferson provided guidance and expertise on wine related matters to the President and even placed orders for many his favorite French wines for the President’s cellar.

Although the role of Secretary of State was disagreeable to Jefferson, it was during this time that penned his longest outline of the wines he preferred.   In November 1791, Philadelphia wine merchant, Henry Sheaff, asked for Jefferson’s thoughts on his favorite wines.  Can you imagine a more perfect letter to a true oenophile?

Jefferson’s note to Henry Sheaff is quite lengthy, but I’ve excerpted a few parts that I found most interesting:

Lisbon wines. The bets quality of the dry kind is called Termo, and costs 79 Dollars the pipe at about 2 years old. At 5 years old it is becoming a find wine; at 7 years old it is preferable to any but the very best Madeira. Bulkley and son furnish it from Lisbon.

The following facts are from my own enquiries in going thro’ the different wine cantons of France, examining the identical vineyards producing the first quality of wines, conversing with their owners, and other persons on the spot minutely acquainted with the vineyards, and the wines made on them, and tasting them myself.

Burgundy. The best wines of Burgundy are Montrachet, a white wine. It is made but by two persons, to wit Monsieur de Clermont, and Monsieur de Sarsnet. The latter rents to Monsieur de la Tour. This costs 48 sous the bottle, new, and 3 livres when fit for drinking.

Champagne. The Mousseux or Sparkling Champagne is never brought to a good table in France. The still, or non-mousseux, is alone drunk by connoisseurs.

The wines of Burgundy and Champagne being made at the head of the Seine, are brought down that river to Havre from whence they are shipped. They should come down in the month of November so that they may be brought over sea in the winter and arrive here before our warm Spring days. They should be bottled on the spot where they are made. The bottle, bottling, corking, and packing costs 5 sous a bottle. Capt. Cutting, Consul of the U.S. at Havre is a good person and well informed to supply the wines of Burgundy and Champagne.

Sauterne. This is the best white wine of France (except Champagne and Hermitage) the best of it is made by Monsieur de Lur-Salus, and costs at 4 years old (when fit to drink) from 20 to 24 sous the bottle. There are two other white wines made in the same neighborhood called Prignac and Barsac, esteemed by some. But the Sauterne is that preferred at Paris and much the best in my judgment. They cost the same. A great advantage of the Sauterne is that it becomes higher flavored the day after the bottle has been opened, than it is at first.

Hermitage. This is made at Tains on the Rhone. The red is not very highly esteemed, but the White is the first wine in the world without a single exception. There is so little of the White made that it is difficult to buy it unless you will buy two of three times the quantity of red at the same time. The white improves fastest in a hot situation, and must be 4 years old before it is drank. It then costs, when it can be bought 3 livres the bottle.

As I’ve noted several times in this series, no level of detail was beyond Jefferson’s interest.  The notes above illustrate his depth of his intellectual capacity – the aforementioned is a short excerpt on his thoughts on wine all the while he was performing ‘official’ duties as the Minister to France.  Jefferson’s entire letter to Sheaff can be found in Jefferson’s Letters, Vol 27 – very well worth the read. Jefferson’s letter to Henry Sheaff, can also be read online via Google Books here.

Tomorrow, we begin the exploration of wine at Jefferson’s White House…

______________________

Sources – both excellent books below contain Jefferson’s letter to Henry Sheaff:
Thomas Jefferson on Wine, Hailman, John
Passions: The Wine and Travels of Thomas Jefferson, Gabler, James

__________________________________

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Random Observations? Contact Me Here

__________________________________