What is the oldest bottle of wine you own, have owned or tasted? I have been been enjoying wine for nearly 25 years, but only began collecting about six years ago. Mine are nothing impressive. I have a couple bottles of 1991 Graham’s Vintage Port and a bottle of 1995 Latour that is a bit of a treasure to me for sentimental reasons. I expect my son and his friends will be impressed to see wine from the last century sitting on the racks, but I know these are not so old.
I suspect the WB readership here have some impressive dates and wines to share. I think the fact that we collect, treasure and remember these bottles shows how historic and important wine is to our culture.
I love old Madeira so have quite a few of those. You mention Grahams VP so I guess you’re including fortified wines. 1795 Barbieto Terrantez would be my oldest in that case. Have had it twice in the past.
Born in 1959 (lucky me!) so I’ve quite a few of those, Bordeaux, Burgundy, German, Loire, even Massandra from the Crimea. These would be oldest non-fortifieds I still have.
I have a real soft spot for old wines. While my cellar is very modest compared to those of many collectors and I sold off much of my wine before making two cross-country moves, I did hold on to many of my old bottles. Currently, the oldest bottles I have are:
Fortified: 1815 Madeira (the Waterloo vintage) and 1840 Marsala
Dry: 1858 Beychevelle
The favorite old bottles I had in my cellar at one time (both consumed and both quite good ) were:
Fortified: 1875 Louis Lewin & Co Port (Cucamonga, CA)
Dry: 1946 Beaulieu Vineyard Pinot Noir
Europe, of course, has an amazing wine culture, but these California beauties show that at least some quality wine has been coming out of California for more than a century…
Cheers!
Frank
PS: I’m interested to see some of the ancient wines that pop up. I’m sure Mssr Audoze or someone with a very deep cellar has a bottle retrieved from Jerusalem by the Knights Templar…
I’ve had the good fortune to drink a number of older bottles in recent years, but I don’t usually keep the old bottles for that long, so I only have a few in inventory. The current oldest are:
Eric, 1795 is impressive. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were still collecting in those days, but it sits in your cellar.
Frank T., that you think about it as the “Waterloo” vintage is interesting because of the historical context. It’s like when people point out that the have Burgundy or Bordeaux from the war years and that they were even made, much less survived. And for those reasons often seem more cherished.
I’m secretly hoping Mr. Audouze shares…and some of the lurkers too. Good stuff.
1904 Sandeman Vintage Port (I actually think it is an LBV, hard to tell from the label)
1927 Domaine Bory Rivesaltes
1953 Margaux
1959 Antonio Ferrari Solaria Jonica
and a couple of 69 BV GdL. Trying to find some more 59 Bdx, especially Leoville Las Cases, just a lovely wine.
1979 Latour - Consumed
1989 Calon Ségur - Consumed (my first Bordeaux futures purchase!)
1996 Calon Ségur - In cellar
1996 Cos D’Éstournel - In cellar
1998 Mayacamas - In cellar (son’s birthyear)
1998 Pietranera Brunelo - 1 down, 2 to go: delicious!
Had the Latour before I was into wine - all I remember is that it was very good, and that I bought it b/c the price was mis-labeled: $7.95 instead of $_X_7.95
![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
) were: