Thanks, Max (and others)

Glad you are enjoying your purchase. Unless you diversify with massive cellar purchases rapidly, you'll consume this first foray's results long before storage at 72F has an impact.

While much is made of "cellar" temp (mostly by small refrigerator-like appliance sellers--those would be cellar-sellers, I suppose?) the fact is that stability of temp in a comfortable range is more important. If you were planning on evaluating your wine every two or three years for the next forty, then it might be critical to be a bit cooler, but you'll probably do quite nicely for the next ten years in your stable temp basement, shielded from bright light (not storing in the sun bathed corner by the window, I hope.) Wide temp fluctuations are detrimental, bright light long term exposure is not good, vibration (stored atop the dryer?) is bad, and extreme humidity levels (hi/lo) might have a long term impact.

In fact, you'll probably hear that a slightly warmer than ideal temp (72 vice 59) will speed maturity.

Consider that the wine on the shelf at the wine store is generally at

Ed Rasimus Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret) "When Thunder Rolled" Smithsonian Institution Press ISBN #1-58834-103-8