Fine, Rare, and Capital Old Wine
“LOGIC, who was a dear lover of wine, tasted, tasted, and tasted so often, that he ultimately became non compos mentis, and required the assistance of a drag to convey him home to the Albany.” From Pierce Egan Life in London (1821).
Tom, Jerry and Logic, “tasting” Wine in the Wood, at the London Docks. 1821. George Cruikshank. The British Museum.
This blog features over 2,000 posts filled with tasting notes, research, and historic images. Due to the chronological nature of this blog and the developing need for recategorization, it is inevitable that posts, in effect, have become lost. To combat such loss I already maintain a page dedicated to annotated descriptions of my history of wine posts. A good portion of this blog contains tasting notes from which a smaller proportion are about the more interesting bottles I have drunk. Therefore, with a strong nod towards age, these interesting posts are tagged as Rare Wine, Fine Wine, Mature Wine, and Old Wine. This page will automatically display the 100 most recent of these posts.
- Three CdP and a Ringer (12/12/2021) - Lou and I gathered outside to taste a small selection of Chateauneuf du Pape and one ringer. The 1978 Chapoutier, La Bernardine, Chateauneuf du Pape smells very good (it sports concentrated sweet aromas only brought by age) but the flavors do not deliver the same level of quality. The 1981 Monterey Peninsula Winery, Cabernet Sauvignon, […]
A Mature Bottle of Roudon Smith (12/9/2021) - According to the back label, the fruit for the 1978 Roudon Smith Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County was sourced from a vineyard on the valley floor and one on Moon Mountain. What the label does not state is that the winery building was constructed the same year as the vintage. Up to this point, the […]
Another Pandemic Tasting of Old Californian Wines (12/8/2021) - Petite Sirah can often seem immune from age but the first pair of wines tasted did not subscribe to that notion. I expected the bottle of 1974 Sonoma Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander’s Crown, Sonoma County to deliver and it certainly did. It is a favorite of mine. The 1978 Fetzer Vineyards, Zinfandel, Scharffenberger, Mendocino was […]
A Pandemic Tasting of Old Californian Wines with Lou (12/7/2021) - Lou and I met up outside several times during the pandemic to taste a few bottles of wine. We started off with a small group of Zinfandel. Despite a rather disappointing performance as a whole, the bottle of 1979 Santino, Zinfandel, Special Selection, Fiddletown, Amador County stood out and rightfully so. It was the same […]
1983 Chateau Rieussec, Sauternes (1/24/2020) - Chateau Rieussec was purchased by Albert Vuillier in 1971. He replanted many of the vineyards, which he acquired in a decayed state, and began purchasing new wood for aging the wine. The vineyards were planted to 89% Semillon, 8% Sauvignon, and 3% Muscadelle. For the 1983 vintage, nearly 50% of the wine would have been […]
Three old Italian wines from different vintages, producers, and regions (12/31/2019) - Lou and I met up to try a trio of wines which, besides being old and Italian, had nothing in common. Our first wine, 1967 Anton Lindner, Eppaner Justiner Auslese, Alto-Adige, was a dead-ringer on the nose for a Vintage or Tawny Port. It is quite aromatic, suggesting strong potential but ultimately a let down […]
A Fine Surprise: 1974 Trefethen Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon (12/30/2019) - The Trefethen family moved to Napa Valley in 1968 where they acquired several small farms to form a single wine estate. After the inaugural vintage of 1973, Trefethen Vineyards soon became known as a small producer of fine wines. Thanks to Carole Hicke’s interview of Janet and John Trefethen in 1997, we know just how […]
A pair of 1960s Oleggio and Beccaro from Alto Piemonte (12/28/2019) - On a dark December night, Sudip and I tried two old bottles of wine from the Novara-Vercelli hills of Alto Piemonte, home to such wines as Gattinara and Ghemme. I can find little on the 1961 Cantina Sociale Cooperativa di Oleggio, Vino Vecchia Collina Riserva. It probably has a base of Spanna with some amount […]
Holiday Time Wine: 1977 Dessert Wines from California (12/27/2019) - I have become swamped with work and despite a lack of posting, I have still managed to drink some interesting wines this fall. The 1977 Monterey Peninsula Winery, Late Harvest Zinfandel, Amador County is a fine find. Founded in 1974, Monterey Peninsula Winery soon developed award winning Zinfandel from a county which became synonymous for […]
An intense and dark 1979 Calafia Cellars, Merlot (10/16/2019) - I pulled the cork on the 1979 Calafia Cellars, Merlot, Napa Valley not knowing one bit of its history. Founded by Randle and MaryLee Johnson, this bottle is from their inaugural vintage which happens to be the same year the winery was founded. Just five years earlier, in 1974, Johnson graduated from UC Davis then […]
A Preserved mid-1970s Liberty School, Cabernet Sauvignon (9/4/2019) - Charles Wagner’s famous Caymus Vineyards was bonded in 1971 with the first successful vintage a year later in 1972. Wagner would develop a reputation during the 1970s for producing some of California’s best wines. These early vintages still command a premium to this day. The shifting nature of the California wine boom left some winemakers […]
Surprisingly Good 1980 Girard, Cabernet Sauvignon (9/3/2019) - The Girard family first bought land for their vineyard in 1972. For several years they grew grapes until they built a winery in 1980. It is from this inaugural year that Lou’s bottle of 1980 Girard Winery, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley stems from. The wine continued to slowly unfurl for hours, taking me by surprise […]
1941 Casa de Sonoma, Cabernet Sauvignon from the Private Cellar of August Sebastiani (9/2/2019) - As a California Cabernet from the 1941 vintage, the wine is very good for its age: deep aromas and a burst of flavor delivered with graceful decline. I agree with Mannie Berk that any better and suspicions would be raised. Incredibly, the wine is not from the great classic names like Beaulieu or Inglenook but […]
Mature Burgundy: Barolet, DRC, Giroud, Roumier, and more (8/15/2019) - A group of us recently gathered to taste mature bottles of Burgundy. Due to everyone’s generosity, several different flights were formed. We began with a blind flight of three different Champagne from the 1996 vintage. This was followed by the main focus on both the 1965 and 1966 vintages of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, La […]
A disintegrating label yet solid 1966 Lafite Rothschild (8/14/2019) - A widow recently sold off the small remains of her wine cellar. The wines were originally purchased from MacArthur Beverages a long time ago, then stored in the basement of her house. There was nearly a case of 1966 Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Pauillac with labels varying from largely intact to disintegrating. I picked bottles with […]
The First Release: 1974 Sonoma Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander’s Crown (7/25/2019) - When Rodney Strong created Sonoma Vineyards in the 1960s, he already had years worth of experience at multiple wineries. In fact, Sonoma Vineyards represents the rebirth of his successful Windsor Vineyards. Based on his winemaking experiences Strong built a new, practically designed winery in which he installed the latest winemaking equipment including temperature controlled stainless […]
A Vertical Tasting of Giacomo Conterno, Cascina Franca Barbera d’Alba 2006-2012 (7/3/2019) - With the last set of 900 pages read through, I have moved on to another group of letterbooks regarding the Madeira wine trade. These letters are from the early 19th century. While much of content is dedicated to the flour and corn trade, the Madeira wine bits scattered throughout, can be quite detailed. I find […]
“One of the best we’ve ever made”: 1978 and 1977 Cabernet from Sunrise Winery (6/14/2019) - Since my last post of one month ago, I have spent all of the time I usually dedicate to the wine blog transcribing 18th century letters related to the Madeira trade in America. To lend you a sense of the effort, just two of the sources I am using, one letterbook and one partial collection […]
Wente’s 1978 Centennial Reserve Petite Sirah delivers (5/11/2019) - I recently pulled out the pair of 1978 bottles from Wente Bros. for dinner after a tasting with several friends. I thought I would write about these wines separately, as the history is a bit interesting. Wente Bros. of Livermore, California was founded in 1883 by Carl Heinrich Wente who came over from Hanover, Germany. […]
A lively 1964 Luigi Nervi, Spanna (5/9/2019) - I was in New York the other week for a midday tasting of some seriously fine and old Rioja. That evening, I was to meet my friend William for dinner. In need of some wine to help me transition from very old to young vintages, I stopped by Chambers Street Wines for a bottle. I […]
Young Loire and Mature Cali (3/27/2019) - Our most recent dinner with Sudip and his family continued the tradition of tasting Californian wines from the 1977 vintage. While I deal with the older bottles, I put out the 2014 Xavier Weisskopf, Le Rocher des Violettes, Petillant Originel, Montlouis-sur-Loire. This refreshing bubbly offers spiced flavors in a young frame. I would recommend cellaring […]
A tasting of Château Léoville Poyferré 2015-1990 (2/25/2019) - On January 18, 2019, Panos Kakaviatos (https://wine-chronicles.com/) gathered together a group of DC wine lovers for one of his biannual Bordeaux dinners. This was one was at Le Petit Bouchon Restaurant in the French Embassy and featured the wines of Léoville Poyferré. As in the past he invited a guest from the Chateaux and had […]
A wine dinner with aged Chardonnay, Sonoma County oldies, and decades old Spanna (2/24/2019) - A mixed group of wine drinkers and wine lovers recently met up at the house for a wine dinner. We drank the sparkling and white wines while introductions were made and dinner was prepared. It is with dinner that we tucked into three flights of red wine. If the first flight of reds was a […]
A blind tasting featuring wines from Yvon Clerget and Duroche (2/12/2019) - I was fortunate to be Phil’s guest at the lastest blind tasting he held for the group. Phil had smoked some chuck for dinner, providing a savory reminder of what was to come after the blind tasting. First up, we sampled the 2017 Chateau L’Ermitage, Auzan, Costieres de Nimes. It is a good wine to […]
“There is no such thing as Round Hill”: 1974 Round Hill, 1970 LMHB, and 1978 Mastantuono (1/4/2019) - Sickness and scheduling issues meant I was never able to host any tastings this holiday break. I did manage to meet up at Lou’s house for an impromptu tasting of mature wine. I was given several bottles of 1970 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion, Graves from that odd DC cellar years back. With ratty labels (the […]
A Blind Janasse Vertical: 1999-2016 (12/30/2018) - A few weeks ago I tasted through twelve wines blind. That they turned out to be all largely excellent was of no surprise for Roland was the host. The first two wines clearly (and with great comfort) pointed to the Southern Rhone with a level of complexity that indicated Chateauneuf du Pape. While a couple […]
“How long will our reds last? I don’t know.”: 1978 Parducci, Merlot Special Bottling plus some table wine (12/11/2018) - The label of the 1978 Parducci, Merlot Special Bottling, Mendocino County magnum was only slightly soiled. The fill was excellent and underneath the plastic capsule, the firmly seated cork was pristine. After double-decanting, to remove the sediment, the wine bore deep aromas proper for a good Californian wine from the 1970s. Grapes have been grown […]
After Afternoon with Mature Wine – Part 1 Nebbiolo (11/16/2018) - Sudip, Lou, and I recently spent an afternoon following several bottles of mature wine. The quartet of “little” Nebbiolo from Chambers St Wines proved the most interesting that day. All of the wines were double-decanted to seperate off the sediment and even the minor wines benefited from air. The youngest wine, 1973 Crissante Alessandria, Barolo, is from […]
The Post-Brunello Tasting Dinner Wines (11/15/2018) - No tasting is complete without dinner and even more wine! As I was dealing with dinner my notes are a bit thin. I tried the 1990 Produttori di Barbaresco, Nebbiolo, Barbaresco, en magnum both during and after the Brunello tasting. The nose retained bits of roast but the flavors are fresh, balanced, and enjoyable. Strong provenance […]
1985 and 1988 Brunello di Montalcino tasting (11/12/2018) - This past month I hosted a Brunello di Montalcino tasting focused on the great 1985 and 1988 vintages from five producers. Though these vintages are only three years apart, they are at significantly different stages of life. The 1988s are generally less evolved on the nose, with a core of fruit in the mouth and […]
Wines from a birthday celebration (10/17/2018) - A small group of us gathered for a birthday celebration where we all contributed bottles around significant years. While the name and age of the celebrant are withheld the wines we tasted are not! Many fine wines were tasted both young and old with only a few off bottles. Please find my notes below. 1996 […]
Rhone Research – 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape, Part 1 (9/21/2018) - By all accounts, the 2016 vintage is stellar in the Southern Rhone. It is hype that the group, gathered by Phil Bernstein, of MacArthur Beverages, were no doubt aware of. Together, we tasted through nine bottles of recently arrived 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape focusing in on some big names and top cuvees. The reputation […]
A tasting of 2015 German Riesling with a few bottles of Champagne (8/14/2018) - A generous friend hosted a small group to taste through an even larger number of German Riesling bottles. The focus was largely on 2015 German Riesling with an additional flight of 2008 Riesling Spätlese and several bottles of bubbles throughout. The 2015 vintage is excellent allowing for the generally high quality of the wines we […]
A Northern Rhone Tasting with Mosel too (8/13/2018) - Several months ago we gathered on my back deck to taste through some Northern Rhone wines. The focus was to be on Cornas and Côte-Rôtie but these wines were soon joined by Champagne (required of course), Hermitage, Mosel, and Paarl. The killer 1998 Dom Perignon, P2 Champagne Brut with its equally impressive gift box was the best […]
Old Italian Wines 1996 – 1949 | Part 3 Largely Unknown (7/18/2018) - In this third and last post about the Old Italian Wines tasting, I cover the group of largely unknown wines. Mostly Unknown The goal of this grouping was to taste wines from unknown producers or wines of known producers without published tasting notes. I thought it was the most interesting set. The 1971 Lungarotti, Torgiano […]
Old Italian Wines 1996 – 1949 | Part 2 Barbera (7/16/2018) - This is the second post about the Old Italian Wine tasting. This grouping focuses in on Barbera, in part due to an interesting tasting of Italian Barbera from 1964 to 2013 held last summer. Barbera These wines proved to be of rather miserable performance with only two out of six Italians Barbera wines being of any […]
Old Italian Wines 1996 – 1949 | Part 1 Dolcetto (7/14/2018) - Half a year ago a small group of us gathered for An exploratory tasting of mature Nebbiolo 1975-1954. The wines from Alto Piemonte were largely good so we gathered again to try an even more diverse selection of Italian wines dating from 1996 back to 1949. The selections were organized into three groups: Dolcetto, […]
CVNE Older Vintage Tour with Carlos Delage, Deputy Export Director (7/12/2018) - It is a testament to winemaking with excellent parcels of fruit and aging in carefully maintained facilities, that I have consistently enjoyed several bottles of the 1964 CVNE, Vina Real Reserva Especial. I have drunk other vintages as well including the 1976 CVNE, Imperial, Rioja Gran Reserva which was served by Carlos Delage, CVNE Deputy […]
An off-bottle of 1977 Keenan, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (7/11/2018) - I picked up a few bottles of 1970s Californian wine in England of all places. Reid Wines to be exact, supplier of old Claret back during my Bristol University days. Their wine lists easy spans a century’s worth of vintages, primarily in Champagne, Bordeaux, and Burgundy but other regions are sprinkled throughout, including a bottle […]
Madeira in Early America, The dinner party (6/18/2018) - Discussing the history of wine is thirsty work. After completing our breakout sessions and the walk around tasting for The Stanford Wine Society, it was time for dinner. Back in San Francisco a handful of us gathered at a round table to refresh with a glass of NV Laurent-Perrier, Champagne Brut Cuvee Grand Siecle. Grand Siecle […]
From the quality years: 1974 Stone Creek Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon (6/1/2018) - I try not to conduct much investigation before opening an old bottle of Californian wine. I enjoy the mystery of what the wine will taste like and with a bottle of 1974 Stone Creek Cellars, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley the resolution was perfect. There is not much sediment in this wine so I served from the bottle […]
Mostly 1970s Californian red wines (5/31/2018) - The Memorial Day weekend kicked off with several wines from the 1970s tasted over at Lou’s house. After a sweeter than expected start with the fully mature 1998 Domaines Schlumberger, Pinot Gris, Alsace Grand Cru Kitterle four of us ventured down to his tasting room. The fills on 1970 Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou, Saint-Julien and 1975 Chateau Branaire, […]
Highly aromatic 1970 Bodegas Alavesas, Solar de Samaniego, Rioja (5/30/2018) - Bodegas Alavesas was founded in 1972 by the wealthy industrialist Miguel Angel Alonso Samaniego. A new winery was completed in 1973 in which wines were made from some several hundred hectares of owned vineyards and locally purchased fruit. In the early 1980s, the 1968 and 1970 vintages were considered amongst the best. Given these dates, […]
A blind tasting of 2014 Bordeaux (4/14/2018) - Several weeks ago I was a guest of Phil’s tasting group for a blind event featuring featuring seven wines. I will admit to being confused. I thought some wines from Bolgheri, others certainly from Bordeaux, and I was sure one was Barbera! Six of the wines were Bordeaux and what I thought was Barbera turned […]
Bastardo & Mostcatel: the dinner wines 2011 – 1959 (1/22/2018) - After working through 20 different Madeira at Bastardo & Moscatel: The Tasting 1927 – 1830 it was time for the transition to dinner service. As always there is an array of Champagne to work through. A pair old label and very tasty NV Krug, Champagne Brut Grand Cuvée, an oxidized 1985 Salon, Champagne Brut Le […]
Bastardo & Moscatel: The Tasting 1927 – 1830 (1/20/2018) - On April 22, 2017, I attended my third amazing Madeira event Bastardo & Moscatel – The Tasting in New York City. This was the sixth in a series of definitive annual Madeira tastings organized by Mannie Berk (The Rare Wine Co.) and Roy Hersh (For The Love of Port). Unlike the previous two events I have […]
Before, during, and after: other wines at the Madeira tasting (1/16/2018) - I have come to the carefully considered position that Champagne is required at a Madeira tasting. The aroma of Madeira always fills the room but a glass of Champagne makes everyone jolly before sitting down. A bottle served while service is performed on the second flight refreshes the palate. Finally, a bottle at the end […]
An introductory Madeira tasting: 1971 Terrantez back to 1880 Malvasia (1/12/2018) - This past weekend I hosted a Madeira tasting in answer to requests I have received from my friends. With a sizeable selection of wines made available to me by Mannie Berk, The Rare Wine Co., I settled in on what I consider an introductory tasting. Over the course of 10 bottles I presented such wines […]
A half-bottle of 1977 Graham’s Vintage Port (1/2/2018) - The 1977 Graham’s, Vintage Port is the only Port we drank over the holidays. In the half-bottle format the Port soon opens up to reveal itself as fully mature. It is of moderate sweetness but the mixture of brown sugar, cloves, and cinnamon flavors add to the impression of being an end of evening drink. […]
Holiday Claret with Lou (1/1/2018) - Lou and I usually crack open a few bottles of claret around Christmas-time. This year we settled on a trio of Chateau Gruaud-Larose sourced from that old DC cellar. In lieu of a Champagne starter, we tried the 2016 Lise & Bertrand Jousset, Rose petillant cuvee Exile. This is a surprisingly deep-flavored sparkling Gamay which is […]
Two particularly fine wines from 2017 (12/31/2017) - For my favorite wines of 2017 I chose two bottles that are of particularly fine flavor. The first wine stood out during the Madeira at Liberty Hall tasting held by Mannie Berk on April 23, 2017. It is the second time I have tasted an excellent Acciaioly Madeira. The Acciaioly history is oft repeated being an old […]
Eric Ifune’s most interesting fortified wines of 2017 (12/26/2017) - Eric Ifune’s love of fortified wines once again comes through in his third annual post of his favorite wines of the year. Once again, I’m naming my most interesting fortified wines of this year, 2017. Not necessarily the best, but the most interesting. They are listed chronologically. Bastardo and Moscatel Madeira in New York 1875 […]
Merry Christmas Eve with old Louis M. Martini (12/24/2017) - Merry Christmas Eve! Comparisons are fun so at the start of my Christmas vacation I opened a pair of Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon from the 1977 vintage. These wines would have been fermented in cement tanks then aged for two years in neutral wood. At the end of the aging period all of the […]
Panos’ epic tasting of 16 vintages of Chateau Montrose: 2012 – 1970 (12/12/2017) - On January 24, 2017, Panos Kakaviatos (Wine Chronicles) hosted another epic Bordeaux tasting featuring the wines of Chateau Montrose. Hervé Berland, CEO, graciously donated 15 vintages of wine with three guests donating the 1989 vintage thus presenting us with an array of 16 different wines spanning from 2012 back to 1970. The tasting itself was […]
A thorough introduction to Loire wines: 2011-1979 (12/8/2017) - Bill is passionate about Loire wines, top quality producers none the less, which was evident at a tasting he hosted at his house. The wines largely came from his cellar making a parade of heavy hitters, cult favorites, and new discoveries. As an introduction there were bottles of sparkling wine, white wine, red wine, and […]
An exploratory tasting of mature Nebbiolo 1975-1954 (12/1/2017) - A small group of us gathered to explore modestly priced old Nebbiolo of which little is known about the producers in general or the wines in specific. This meant no Vallana and no Nervi, for example. We selected 10 different red wines from 1975 back to 1954 but were sure to include flights from the […]
Two old Special Selection wines from California (11/21/2017) - One evening this summer, Mannie and I sat outside with our families for dinner. The theme for the meal was old Californian wine, a favorite subject of mine, both historically and gustatory. Our first bottle, the 1969 Louis M. Martini, Special Selection California Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon was produced by Louis P. Martini who took over management […]
A tasting of 2013-1999 Guigal, Côte-Rôtie Le Château d’Ampuis (11/20/2017) - Blind tasting wine in a friendly group is great fun. That is the ritual of the tasting group assembled this past weekend at Andy’s house. I find the experience sharply exposes the limits of my experience, reaffirming thoughts on what I must taste next year. Before any deduction could began I took repeated small pours […]
A tasting of Rioja from the great 1964 Vintage (11/17/2017) - The 1964 vintage in Rioja, considered the greatest of the 20th century, was not met with any fanfare in America nor in England. It was not because the top wines, only bottled in the 1970s and released as late as 1980, were unavailable to taste. Throughout the 1960s Rioja was still viewed as the best […]
All about the mouthfeel: 1979 Produttori del Barbaresco, Barbaresco (11/10/2017) - I continue my all Italian wine week with a mature bottle of 1979 Produttori del Barbaresco, Barbaresco. This basic bottling of Produttori is made from fruit sourced from top vineyards. It was traditionally fashioned with long maceration (up to two months!) and long aging in large botti. The winemaking has ensured that this is a […]
An epic Panos Bordeaux tasting: 16 vintages of Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2016 – 1975 (11/3/2017) - On October 18, 2017, Panos Kakaviatos (wine-chronicles) hosted a tasting of 16 vintages of Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande from 2016 to 1975. This tasting is the latest in a series of definitive events that Panos arranges for Washington, DC wine lovers. Not only were all of the bottles direct from the chateau but […]
Mature Middle Mosel Riesling (10/24/2017) - A small number of old German wines recently hit the shelves of MacArthur Beverages. The owner had passed away so the bottles were sold off. As they were well-stored Phil picked them up and being of fine vintages, I bought a handful. I tried two of the bottles from the middle Mosel the other evening […]
Legendary Rioja: CVNE Viña Real and Imperial Rioja Gran Reserva from 1976-1964 (10/23/2017) - Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España (CVNE), founded in 1879, is one of the oldest Rioja producers. For nearly one century CVNE has produced the top brands of Viña Real and Imperial. Over this period the wines developed the reputation as consistent both in high-quality and long-life with the particular decades of the 1940s through […]
Delicious and historic, the 1974 Contino, Rioja Reserva (10/19/2017) - Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España (CVNE) has produced the legendary Viña Real since the 1920s. CVNE was founded in 1879 by Eusebio and Raimundo Real de Asua and in the 1960s, 4th generation Jose Angel de Madrazo y Real de Asua became General Manager of Viña Real. Jose Madrazo responsibilities included purchasing additional fruit for […]
A Spanish dinner including a pair of 1970 Rioja (10/17/2017) - For our most recent wine dinner with Sudip we departed from 1970s Californian wines to those of Rioja. As we were joined by Taz and his family we tasted through a few more bottles than normal. Per usual, I provided the wines and Sudip cooked. All of the bottles were sourced from The Rare Wine […]
Back to the golden-age: A tasting of Paul Jaboulet Aîné, Chateauneuf-du-Pape from 1990-1961 (9/29/2017) - Paul Jaboulet Aîné, founded in 1834, remains a major negociant to this day. The Hermitage “La Chapelle” needs no introduction as it is still a benchmark for Northern Rhone wines. Today we would not include the Chateauneuf du Pape “Les Cèdres” as amongst the best of the region but it was in the 1960s and […]
Barolo from 1974 and Rioja from 1964 (8/18/2017) - Much of my time spent with Mannie Berk, The Rare Wine Co., involves work on projects related to the history of Madeira. After one long day sorting through historic documents we discussed our findings over two bottles of wine. Terre del Barolo is a cooperative winery that was founded in 1958. Located in the heart […]
I like my Sutter Home Zinfandel red and from the 1970s (8/2/2017) - Our dinners with Sudip have come to a reasonable arrangement for all. The kids play for hours, Sudip provides the meal, and I provide the old wine. Though purely by coincidence it is worth noting that Sudip has won handsomely at poker on days when his games begin or end on our dinner evenings. One […]
Lou guesses Italian, I guess Bordeaux (7/26/2017) - I went over to Lou’s house a few weeks ago. We each brown bagged a few wines for each other to guess. We only skirted with brilliance, informally I would say we are closer in guessing vintages than the regions the wine came from. I brought the Rhone trio because negociants were still in their […]
Italian Barbera from 1964 to 2013 (6/8/2017) - The gray weather parted allowing a small group of us to taste through a range of Barbera on my back deck. Unspoken etiquette ensured we had bottles of Champagne and white wine to occupy ourselves as the bottles of Barbera were opened and I fussed with the grill. Both starter bottles were excellent. Having now […]
Mature white dinner wines in Seattle (5/31/2017) - On an increasingly sunny evening, over goat cheese, a dinner of ravioli with butter sauce, and a Cardamon infused cake, I enjoyed three bottles of wine white. The wines were served by a new friend who inherited his interest in wine from his father. It is for him that I opened the 1979 De Foreville […]
A saline 1990 Longue-Toque, Gigondas (5/18/2017) - I cut my teeth on Gigondas when it first came to bottles of mature Rhone wine. Though I have since been seduced by the complexities of Chateauneuf du Pape, I still get excited by old bottles of Gigondas. At the time of the 1990 vintage, Domaine de Longue-Toque was run by Serge Chapalain the son […]
A pair of 1977 wines from the historic Winery Lake Vineyard (5/9/2017) - I brought backup wines just in case my selections for our latest dinner with Sudip and Melanie were not drinkable. Though my two old bottles had high fills, I had no idea what to expect of the 1977 Merlot and 1977 Pinot Noir from the Winery Lake Vineyard. Founded around 1960 by Rene di Rosa, Winery […]
1980s Beaucastel and Burgundy at the Woodberry Kitchen (5/5/2017) - Darryl and Nancy organized a small wine dinner at the Woodberry Kitchen in order to partake in ramps and old Châteauneuf du Pape. Roland, Richard, and I joined them one fine evening this week. Fortunately we had extra bottles in tow for this evening was marked by an unfortunate series of off and underperforming bottles. A […]
High-alcohol Verdelho, old Freisa, and older Napa Valley reds (5/3/2017) - The latest round of wines that Lou and I tasted presented a challenging start. Perhaps only the Scholium Project would offer a high-alcohol Verdelho white wine and the 2010 Scholium Project, The Wisdom of Theuth, Lost Slough Vineyards certainly exists outside of my conventional experience. I found an attractive blend of yeast, nuts, and lemon such that […]
Old-school 1979 De Forville Barbaresco (4/25/2017) - I opened the 1979 De Forville, Barbaresco on a whim when I found out a dinner guest at our house is another wine lover. I picked up this bottle from Chambers Street Wine a year or two ago on the recommendation of Jamie. De Forville is a 19th century estate which, according to the Wasserman’s, produced this […]
Fully mature 1982 Bodegas Beronia, Rioja Reserva (3/10/2017) - Bodegas Beronia was founded in 1973. My particular bottle of 1982 Bodegas Beronia, Rioja Reserva was vintaged the same year González Byass bought the winery. The estate is famous for their barrels made from American oak staves and French oak heads. The fruit for this wine was sourced entirely from Rioja Alta, a higher altitude region that […]
A Blind Tasting of 2000 and 1996 Bordeaux with bottles of Dunn and Chave too (3/9/2017) - A few weeks back I was lucky to be a guest when Sotiris hosted his tasting group. We tasted seven wines blind of which one was a ringer. Now I could not peg that we were tasting 2000 and 1996 Bordeaux but the 2001 Dunn, Cabernet Sauvignon, Howell Mountain, Napa Valley did stick out for it […]
Three Californian Wines from the 1970s (3/8/2017) - It took nearly one century for the wines of Mendocino County to become recognized for their quality. Grapes have grown in Mendocino County since at least 1880. The vineyards survived and perhaps even expanded during Prohibition as demand for home wine-making spread beyond San Francisco to the east coast. After Repeal grapes made their way […]
A very good mature Rioja from 1970 (3/6/2017) - There is one great source for traditional, old Rioja in America and that is Mannie Berk of The Rare Wine Co. One of Mannie’s recommendations is the 1970 Bodegas Franco-Españolas, Rioja Bordon Cosecha Especial. Bodegas Franco-Españolas dates back to 1901 when it was founded by Frederique Anglade. The name reflects that fact that the operation […]
For drinking now, the 1974 Warre’s, Late Bottled Vintage (2/19/2017) - The 1974 Warre’s, Late Bottled Vintage is at a state where it drinks perfectly. There are mature wine flavors, spices, and wood box delivered with a seductive round mouth feel. The structure is fully resolved with enough acidity to leave a fresh impression. In short, there is no reason to hold onto this Late Bottled Vintage […]
Tasted blind: 1991 Ridge Monte Bello, 1986 Phelps Backus, and 1984 Duckhorn (2/9/2017) - Last night Lou and I gathered to blindly taste through several bottles of Californian Cabernet Sauvignon. For fun, we each unknowingly threw in an Australian blend of Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon. Perhaps this is unfair given the stature of our main selections but it was for fun. As we settled down to cheese, charcuterie, and cork removal […]
A balanced bottle of 1983 Gould Campbell (2/1/2017) - Just a quick post for today. The 1983 Gould Campbell, Vintage Port is in fine shape. It has shed any aggressiveness of youth and is now in that middle age of smoothness. The primary blue fruit is surrounded by bottle aged flavor which last through the respectably long finish. The sweetness is in balance making […]
Californian Pinot Noir and Barbera from 1977 (1/30/2017) - In the late 1970s, during the height of the American wine boom, Sebastiani was the volume leader in the wine production for Sonoma. Sebastiani was founded in 1904 by Samuele Sebastiani but it was his son August Sebastiani who saw the winery through Prohibition and the rise of the California wine industry. Much of the production […]
A mix of vintages 82, 78, 69, and 62 (1/28/2017) - Over this winter I tried a few odd bottles of old Bordeaux, this post reflecting the lesser of them. The 1982 Chateau d’Issan, Margaux bore good fill and color but the corrosion on the capsule indicated a problem. Old seepage was confirmed by cutting the capsule but the wine itself was good shape, though fresh with […]
A dinner with John Junguenet and Mannie Berk (1/10/2017) - It was time for dinner following an afternoon spent on Madeira research with Mannie Berk, founder of The Rare Wine Co. We made our way to the Common Lot in Millburn, New Jersey where we met up with John Junguenet. If the Junguenet name sounds familiar that is because John is the son of Alain Junguenet who […]
A mystery bottle of 1970 Warre Vintage Port (1/9/2017) - There was a time when much of the Vintage Port sold at MacArthur Beverages was English bottled. These wines were purchased by the case upon which the vintage and house were labeled. But as Mark Wessels and Andy Creemer recently related, the bottles inside were unmarked. Despite efforts to organize or tag the bottles, some […]
A holiday dinner with Amy and Barry (1/4/2017) - I recently met up with Amy Ray and Barry Wiggins for a holiday dinner. It was a casual affair, seated at the corner of the bar of Restaurant Eve. Amy and Barry are long-time fans of Chef Armstrong’s cooking and Todd Thrasher’s care of their wines. While we limited ourselves to a handful of courses, […]
Lou’s Favorite Wines of 2016 (1/2/2017) - As Aaron and I drink many wines together, it’s inevitable that we have some shared wines on our top lists. The 1978 Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill was obviously California with rich fruit and concentration but balanced by forest floor and a balanced acidity. What was especially interesting for me with this wine was that it […]
My favorite wines of 2016 (12/31/2016) - It has been a busy year. Not with wine drinking but with work, family, and the house. I certainly spent a lot of time researching about the history of wine but this year my strong efforts in exploration produced less results. As a result I published less historic pieces. Still, it was a good year […]
Amy Ray’s favorite wines of 2016 tasted in America, France, and Italy (12/31/2016) - Amy Ray has a well “honed” (to borrow a general quote from Barry Wiggins) passion for Burgundy. Though I have known of her for some time we only met this year. In hanging out with her I have discovered she also loves the wines of Champagne, Piedmont, and perhaps most importantly, old Madeira. Amy’s love […]
Bill Moore’s favorite wines of the year (12/31/2016) - I continue the year end posts with Bill Moore’s most memorable pair of wines. I am fortunate to have attended the same Beaucastel tasting. I was lucky enough to enjoy a raft of wonderful wines in 2016, thanks in large part to the generosity of DC’s wine-loving community. Of the many tasted this past […]
Phil Bernsteins’ Top wines of 2016 (12/29/2016) - Phil Bernstein, who works at MacArthur Beverages, is literally within arms reach of amazing wines on a daily basis. In this post he writes about two occassions where he tasted special wines from the 1978 and 1990 vintages. Aaron asked me to write up my favorites and 2016-and it’s a tough assignment as I’m lucky […]
Eric Ifune’s 2016 Fortified Wines of the Year (12/27/2016) - Eric Ifune returns this winter to describe his favorite fortified wines of 2016. I first met Eric at the annual Madeira tastings organized by Roy Hersh (For The Love of Port) and Mannie Berk (The Rare Wine Co.). As you can see in his post, Eric drinks some rather amazing and rare wines, so I […]
The Sensational Sercial Dinner: 1875 through 2008 (12/26/2016) - I was careful to note I drank from a magnum of 1976 Lanson, Champagne and even took a picture of the bottle of 1996 Louis Roederer, Cristal Champagne and Jacque Selosse, V.O. Champagne Extra Brut. However, my tasting note for the 1998 Dom Perignon, Champagne “racy, yeasty, rich, mineral wine flavors” is unaccompanied by a […]
The Sensational Sercial Tasting 1875-1800 (12/23/2016) - On April 30, 2016, I attended The Sensation Sercial Tasting in New York City. This was the fifth in a series of definitive annual Madeira tastings organized by Mannie Berk (The Rare Wine Co.) and Roy Hersh (For The Love of Port). It was only one year prior that I was fully immersed in the […]
Mature wines at an annual dinner (12/13/2016) - Lou and I gather the families every year for a pre-holiday dinner featuring mature wines. This year we were joined by Darryl and Nancy for whom mature wine is a bit of an obsession. To accompany the dinner of crab cakes, coq au vin blanc, and leg of lamb we had planned nothing more than opening […]
Outstanding Bottles of Giacosa and Conterno (12/2/2016) - At the end of October I was fortunate to attend an Italian tasting largely focused in on the wines of Bruno Giacosa and Giacomo Conterno. No tasting of Barolo should be without a mature example and this one began with a very fine 1967 Giacomo Conterno, Barolo. Double-decanted midday it continued to slowly develop in […]
A pair of 1978 Chateauneuf du Pape (11/30/2016) - Chateauneuf du Pape was long a favorite wine in America during the post World War II years. As with several regions in France, the production of a lighter, earlier drinking style of wine also developed in Chateauneuf du Pape. The perceived lessening of quality and rapid increase in price meant that the appeal of Chateauneuf […]
Eclectic by Any Measure, a Dinner with Mannie Berk (11/29/2016) - With Mannie Berk, The Rare Wine Co, in town for the Unveiling of the George Washington Special Reserve Madeira we decided to get together for a small dinner. The theme was eclectic both in region and particularly in vintage. I do not know if it is more interesting that there were wines from the 1930s, […]
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