I had it once, thanks to Frank Martel, Heritage auctions, and a competition in Las Vegas. It was special. If you’ve never had Massandra, it is from a winery in Crimea. I have on reasonable authority that once the Russians under the orders of Valdimir Putin, took over Crimea, the caves full of library wines and barrells were shipped to the Kremlin, so it is either gone or adulterated, and anything new that lands here these days (through the sanctions) is of dubious provenance.
When a bottle of 1940 Massandra Pink Muscat recently came up at auction, I decided that it was one of those oddball that I would rather own than a current vintage of a trophy - be it Screagle or Petrus - and save the $1000+. So I overbid by a few dollars and I get it in a few days. And yes, I have reasonable evidence that is was not an illegal sanction-busting import.
Does anyone else have any experience with Massandra? If so. post it here. If not, try to find some. It is unlikely that I will be the one bidding against you. I go out on hunting expeditions to bag trophies, but I avoid trying to get the same trophy twice, to give the rest of you a chance.
1953 Massandra White Muscat: An intense Muscat nose with some sweet peach and lavender. Full, sweet and intense in the mouth. Preserved ginger and licorice flavours. Super salty on the incredibly long finish.
The bottles from the 1930’s and 1940’s have been magical, but also the younger ones have been impressive. They are nowhere near the old ones in terms of quality, but they still have been very impressive and balanced fortified wines in their own right.
I’ve had a few from 30s/40s a couple of “Madeiras” and a portl. Fun thing to blind people with. Not common, but you used to be able to pick up for $100. Only note I have is from a 1936 Madeira I served blind in 2011:
Plain label on cellophane, incredibly short cork under wax. Opened well in advance, a little musty at first, but then sweet raisiny notes. So I bring upstairs- folks thought from color I was blinding them on whiskey. Toffee, fig, not really that sweet, smoke, earth, spce. The 17+% abv shows on finish.Fun and different wine. B+
I find Massandra wonderfull, not only its versatility but also longevity and quality.
Of course, as broad as the styles (Port, Tokay, Marsala, Madeira, eben PX Sherry, you name it), grape varieties and vintages are, quality and tasting profiles are, too.
I prefer the Tokay and Muscats (especially the Rose and Black), but wouldn´t turn down a Port, neither.
As for the pre-revolution wines (pre-1917), those are different animals, anyways, not comparable to the period 1918 until I`d say 1950, then comes the rest. Those Ai Danil and Livadia Ports will outlive us all are for “eternity” and not re-producable at all.
Frank Martel has a great knowledge about those wines.
I purchased those wines centuries ago, well, at least it feels like it…Sothebys started the cooperation with Massandra in 1990.
Below the list of my remaining stash
1896 Red Port Livadia
1900 White Muscat Livadia
1901 Tokay Ai Danil
1903 Ai Danil Red Port
1914 Malaga
1927 Collection Al Danil Furmint Harslevelu
1929 Tokay Ai Danil
1929 White Muscat
1931 Rose Muscat Gurzuf
1931 White Muscat Livadia
1932 Red Port
1935 Rose Muscat Gurzuf
1936 Cabernet Sauvignon White Port
1936 Livadia Red Port
1937 Black Muscat Kuchuk Lambat
1937 Rose Muscat Gurzuf
1937 Tavrida Black Muscat
1938 Pinot Gris Ai Danil
1938 Red Port
1938 Rose Muscat Gurzuf
1938 White Muscat
1939 Kagor Ayu-Dag
1939 White Muscat
1939 White Muscat “Kastel”
1940 Livadia Red Port
1940 White Muscat
1944 Rose Muscat Gurzuf
1945 South Coast Red Port
1945 White Port Surozh
1948 Aleatiko Partenit
1948 Tavrida Black Muscat
1949 Red Port
So, times have changed over the last decades and Russia’s “special opartion” against the Ukraine has it’s thing toward sanctions against “products originating” from Ukrainian regions being occupied from Russia.
This means that in the European Coummunity it is not allowed to import any wines not only coming but having been produced in those regions, one of them Crimea.
I wonder if this impacts the availability of Massandra wines not only in the EC but also elsewhere - has anyone recently received or purchased Massandras?
My understanding is that Massandra is currently under Russian “possession” or at least annexation and that no wine from their nowadays cellar’s inventory is currently being sold, neither can those wines already withdrawn in the past be imported into the EC - not sure if this is valid for US and other markets…depends on their sanction regulations and firm or not firm execution of the latter.
I have it on good authority that when Putin’s thugs took over Crimea, they were ordered to ship all the casks at Massandra to Moscow, which they did, so the bona fides of any older wine not already removed from Massandra storage is dubious at best. Whether Putin stole the wine to drink it or to adulterate it nd garner foreign currency is unknown to me.
I do not know if wines (you mention “casks”, I wonder if the old “bottles” are included in that description) have been transferred from Crimea to Moscow, but everything is possible nowadays.
I for one have not seen wines recently been offered except from old private collections, and those wines have been out of Massandra for at least 15 and up to 35 years.
As for European Community sanctions: wines originating in Crimea can currently not be IMPORTED into the EC, those that are already in the EC are of course not sanctioned!
Maybe other markets (US, UK,…) have those import restrictions, too? But then again, as probably nothing gets sold from Massandra’s cellars anymore (because they now consider it cultural heritage), this is just a theoretical question; except if someone buys (eg at auction etc) an old bottle in the EC and wants to transfer/import it into UK/US - or the other way round.
Gladly I have my Massandras here, nowadays that would be hardly doable - regulatory- and availability- wise.
Toffee, fig, not really that sweet, smoke, earth, spce. The 17+% abv shows on finish.Fun and different wine. B+