I don't think it's counterfeit - a home run with 12 on base. Now it's been opened.

See post #24 for the results of opening the wine. OUTSTANDING IN ALL RESPECTS.

First, the tasting note, courtesy of Brother Grafstrom, then the story.

• 1865 Gonzalez-Byass Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Coronation 1911 - Spain> Andalucía> Jerez-Xérès-Sherry (9/16/2011)
  Nose reminiscent of tawny port, yet still entirely unique. I eventually took a sip, and nearly immediately started welling-up. First Sip Game Over Words simply could not do justice. Laughter. Smiles, and gibberish. Never in my life have I tasted something so supremely elegant, complex, powerful, smooth, goose-bump and tear-inducingly awesome.

At this point, I still didn’t know exactly what I was tasting – other than “sherry” – but I was thanking Andy profusely while trying to hold back tears … eventually, he couldn’t take it anymore and ran into the back of the shop. Moments later he approaches me with a crusty dirty bottle in his grubbies, telling me it came from an employee’s family cellar. 1865 Coronation 1911 Gonzalez Byass & Co… It’s from the 1865 vintage, is not a solera, and was aged in barrel until it was bottled in 1911. This wine’s life started a whopping 146 years ago!

Andy told me the sample I tasted came from a bottle that had so much ullage it was less than half full when the cork was pulled and that his expectations were next to nothing when he and his employee were opening it. Well, surprise surprise when it turned out to be magnificent!!! I couldn’t stop laughing when I found out what I was tasting came from a bottle that had that much ullage, let alone a wine that was bottled 100 years ago, after it sat in barrel for 46 years before that!

Can a wine ever be worthy of 100 points? Well, based on my experience with this wine, I am forced to answer, “I don’t know.” This wine was worth more.

Will I ever taste an example as superlative as the one I had today? I’m not holding my breath, just the memory.

I can’t imagine a more clear-cut case of 100 points. (100 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

A couple of weeks ago, I was checking a few auction sites and sorted the offerings by vintage. This oddball sherry showed up, so I went to Cellartracker and found one note - the one that Brian wrote. To say it was the most positive note I have ever read is an understatement, which is similar to him saying that this wine is worth more than 100 points. Since I had just opened a 1908 Madeira for my 70th Birthday present to myself, I decided to take a flyer. I lobbed in a low ball bid and no one else was interested. I picked it up today. Photo below. Glass is very dark. With a high intensity underwater Scuba flashlight, I was able to see ullage of top shoulder/bottom neck. It’s either real, or a refilled real bottle, or someone spent way too much time making a complete fake for what I paid for it. I have emailed Gonzalez Byass for information and, worst case, my wife will have fun with it because she is a bit of an Anglophile and will probably tell me all about the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary, for which this sherry was allegedly bottled in 1911.
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Love reading this! Thanks for sharing!

Score of the millenium!

I keep saying it, but no one believes me, the greatest wines in the world are old fortified ones. The depth and complexity of no others.

I have been a believer since I had a 1945 Port in 1981 that I can almost still taste. Of course, I did not act on it well enough, because 1981 is closer to 1945 than 2021 is to 1981, and as a 30 year old I never considered that I would reach 70 years old. I am now trying to make up for that mistake by back filling, but it is, as the French would say, très cher, but happily not trop cher. The best legacy I can leave for the young kids on this site is to advise them to go out and buy something like 1994 Taylor or Fonseca, or even better any 1977 from the top Port houses that are still available for a song, and put it away for a few decades. The 1955 Ports I have had recently are outstanding. And if you happen to see a bottle of pre-1800 Terrentez available at auction, let me know. I have bid on them twice, just for fun, but both times knowing I would be outbid by a very large margin. AND besides, it would have cost me double, because divorces are very expensive too.

F’ing awesome story. You are the man! Pay attention youngsters, this is why we age wine…

Great note Jay. These little funds are what it’s all about.

Fantastic read, great story, and I couldn’t be happier for you. Not a fan of fortified wines generally or sherry in particular, but I did very much enjoy reading about the pleasure this gave you.

Just to be clear, this TN is from Brian 10 years ago, right? You need to close the loop and report on this bottle!
FWIW, we recently opened a 1977 Ferreira (NOT a top port house) and enjoyed it very much. Not special (although this particular bottle had sentimental value for me), but lots of fun. Eric might be on to something.
Regards,
Peter

Cool story. So what was your bid?

TNOTY

The credit for the note goes to Grafstrom, not me. I just found the wine and then found his note, which motivated me to bid on it.

All in, including premium and all the other crap they charge, $236.55. I consider that to be a STEAL. Why? Because . . When can you drink a wine from grapes grown in the year Lincoln was shot? The year that the Civil War was won? The Thirteen Amendment was ratified? Alice in Wonderland was published? AND, I assume this is not a coincidence, King George V, for whose coronation this was bottled, was born.

I have been waiting for this thread. Can’t wait to hear how it shows, Jay!

Do you have a photo of “your” bottle? I’d like to compare them.

Great Post Jay, and good luck with the bottle. The oldest of anything I had was 106 and was well over the hill. What you tasted just sounds fantastic and I hope the low ball bid pans out. Think I’ve only had that loss of emotional control feeling a few times, just delightful, certainly nothing like 146 yo, simply amazing.

I’ll have to dig around and see if (1) I have my old phone and (2) if a took a picture. Your label looks very familiar, though.

…In this case age it for our great grand children

Big time wow over here … I actually found my old phone, got it charged, and I do have multiple pics of the bottle I tasted from. Will see if I can find a way to get them over to Jay.

Not bad at all. Quite amazing thinking of the history it’s been through!