Death of a 45-year-old Bordeaux

My 26-year-old niece Nicole and husband Justin came over for a visit today bringing an old bottle of wine over. The history of the bottle as told by my niece’s husband, Justin was that a couple of years ago an old long-time family friend who’s alcoholic husband just passed away and the surviving wife wanting to just get rid of the husband’s “stash” of liquor and wine started destroying it (literally smashing bottles of booze and wine). An odd shaped wine bottle with a red wax seal on the top of it and a seal with a portrait of a man’s head on the lower neck (high shoulder) caught Justin’s attention and he asked if he could have the bottle. All he knew was that it was an “old” bottle of “Red French Table Wine 1967” in a weird shaped bottle (“Contents 1 Pt. 8 Fl. Oz”). He stored the wine on its side in a dark cool area of his basement in his Pennsylvania home for the last two years.
Immediately upon examining the label I knew I was holding a 45-year-old Bordeaux from St Julien. A Chateau Gruaud-Larose- LE ROI DE VINS LE VIN DES ROIS. The “Fill” was at “low neck”. (Possible “normal” for this shaped bottle, not really sure?) Upon removing the wax and foil on the top of the bottle I noticed that the cork was slightly above the mouth of the bottle and appeared to be slightly “dried out”. First attempt to remove the cork using a waiter’s friend corkscrew was near disaster, the cork just seemed to disintegrate upon making contact. Second attempt using an AH-SO just pushed the cork down into the “longer than usually neck”. Finally with a Screw Pull corkscrew held tightly around the neck and slowly turning the screw the cork extracted out, crumbling on its way out, but thankfully nothing broke or fell back into the wine itself. Upon examining the now crumbled cork it seemed dried out on the very outer surface but had definite signs of veining and soakage in the interior. (Maybe at some point in its life this bottle of wine experienced some “seepage”). Up to this point things didn’t look so good or promising for this bottle of wine. But once the cork was removed and I eased my grip on the neck and brought my nose closer to the now opened mouth of the bottle the “situation” immediately changed. The wine smelled “pleasant” no noticeable “oxidation or sherry aromas” or “vinegar smell”, Things began looking up! Upon pouring, the wine’s appearance was still red “in the core” with “bricking and fading” at the edges. Things most definitely began looking up! The wine’s delicate aroma and bouquet consisted of a soft, smooth, velvety leathery component with hints of red and black fruit with just a pinch of earthiness. The remaining acidity just gave it a pleasant zippy-ness and remaining very resoled ripe smooth tannins made this wine live up to what it is suppose to be -a “red table wine”. After 45 years this bottle most definitely remained true to itself. But today five of us had the ultimate (and for me memorable) pleasure of “killing it”. Thank you so much Nicole and Justin!

Salute

It has been my experience that GL ages quite well..and often takes quite a few years to really strut its stuff..Though, I must confess, I have never aged one >40 years...I opened an 86 GL from my cellar earlier this year, quite nice and nowheres near going over the hill..I will also confess to having opened one of my prior bottles of the 86 GL much too early, ie, 1996, lesson learned!! At age 10 it was nowheres near being ready for prime time, was hard as a brick and equally unyielding .

A rare experience indeed! I'm glad the bottle was enjoyable, and may you have more such experiences!

JKohn

In my book, drinking a wine with great pleasure is not "killing" it . It was made for that purpose and performance as you describe after 45 years is a real fulfilment for a 67 G-L.

Though not classed as a dud year like 63, 65 or 68, 1967 clarets have never enjoyed much of reputation other than for being easy-going wines to lap up when young. So much for reputations .

What a great memory you now have, Victor!. I remember having a '67 Lafite, that turned my wine life around, but that was in 1978. I hope the 42 year old Bordeaux I plan on opening at MOCOOL is as memorable. Salut!