Seattle's Most Expensive: Herbfarm's $22,000 Wine

As far as restaurants go, The Herbfarm doesn't have the area's most expensive wine list (that goes to Canlis), but they do have the most expensive personal collection, which they'll sell bottles from if the price is right. For instance, says Herbfarm proprietor Ron Zimmerman:

From time to time, we sell one-of-a-kind wines from our deep cellar of 26,000 bottles. A good and local guest bought this 1855 Port for his wife's 40th Birthday.

And then this happened:

I sold one of our two bottles of 1811 Tokaji Esszencia from "The Year of the Great Comet." This is the world's rarest example of this wine. The half bottle is on our list for $22,000. I sold one bottle to London under mysterious conditions. I shipped it to an intermediate address and it was paid for by a wire transfer from a representative of the estimable firm of Berry Brothers and Rudd. Yet, when I went into the shop at 3 Saint James Street in London to introduce myself last March and to meet the agent, they had never heard of him! I am under the impression that the bottle was resold to the "agent's" client.

So, who is this mystery man?

Zimmerman has a guess who he thinks the client is, but doesn't want to publicly speculate. Readers, on the other hand, feel free to place your guesses in the comments section. Zimmerman may chime in himself if he gets enough wine in him.

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