1978 cuvee dom perignon

NEWSPAPER: Knoxville News CATEGORY : Hobbies & Crafts EXPERT : Thad Cox, Jr. TYPE : QUEST TOPIC : Wine & Spirits TITLE : 1978 cuvee dom perignon BODY : Hi Thad, I bought 1978 Cuvee Dom Perignon without the original packing carton from an acquainted third party for $350. The seller said that he's had it since 1986. I placed the bottle inside a storage cabinet (fairly cool temperature) and kept it there (upright and standing) for 10 months until I decided to take it out and celebrate with friends. To my utter disappointment, I noticed there was a mark of drip flowing down around the neck of the bottle. When I unplugged the cork, there was no sign or sound of champagne cork popping. The champagne had obviously gone bad. My questions are: 1) Can this problem have gradually developed while the previous seller owned the bottle since 1986? If so, the isn't the likelihood of wine already gone bad before my possession is pretty high? 2) What could I have done to detect and avoid this problem while I had the bottle for 10 months? 3) How quickly can the wine become bad if not stored correctly? 4) How much does an undamaged, good one with same description with the carton worth? Thanks and Kindly, John CREATED : 2014-07-17T03:42:51Z