The wine for this bottle was produced in Germany and bottled for J.A.Harth & Co. The small white label under the main label states ‘Specially selected and shipped for Grierson, Oldham & Co Ltd, London SW1. I bought this unicorn bottle some years ago. Having agreed to catch up with a friend at 67 Pall Mall in central London, I brought this and another bottle. The professional and knowledgeable staff at 67 Pall Mall opened it and I was given the first taste. Would it be drinkable?
To put this bottle’s 67 years of age into perspective, here are some historical events that took place in 1963:
The coronation of Elizabeth II took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey, London.
Marshall Tito is chosen as President of Yugoslavia;
Dwight D Eisenhower is sworn in as the 34th President of the USA;
Watson and Crick of the University of Cambridge announce their discovery of the structure of the DNA molecule.
Joseph Stalin dies and is succeeded by Georgy Malenkov.
Ian Fleming publishes his first James Bond novel, Casino Royale, in the United Kingdom.
Sir Edmund Hillary from New Zealand, and Tenzing Norgay from Nepal, become the first men to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
The Korean War ends as an armistice is signed.
Rationing of sugar ends in the UK.
A hint of funk on the nose quickly blew off. The dry herbs and dried fruit like peaches with a hint of apricots was clearly acceptable. The mouthfeel was rich and fresh, with a fineness of structure like bone china. Its sweetness was more rich than sweet, thought its sweetness increased to my taste as the wine breathed. The bone dry finish gave a minty twang that was unique. An incredible wine and a privilege to both drink and share it.
Thanks for the very interesting note, Nicos. A real bit of history there.
It looks to be pretty dark/black like you’d expect for an old TBA.
Was JA Harth the actual producer or just the company that bttld it. I’ve never heard of JA Harth before
and Google doesn’t offer up much.
Tom
So amazing, my friend—very glad you got to have an experience like this. All my very best for the coming year! (with hopefully more experiences like this one)
