1898 Henriques & Henriques- Madeira Verdelho
1973 Rioja Alta 904. Didn’t know what to think of it, but I guess the best word would be “interesting”. Mint, turmeric, spicy, and the fruit was waaaay in the background. Opened it for my girlfriend’s 40th back in 2013. Everyone at the party thought it was a really cool idea. At least she had options for 1973. I turned 40 last year, and I’m not a port guy.
1982 Mouton would be the second oldest. Yeah, it was good!
Francois Audouze brought an 18-something from somewhere to a dinner in NYC in 2003. Huge event and the bottle was shared with dozens of people. I managed only a tiny taste of mostly sediment. It was still wine but not the same experience had by others who had an earlier, cleaner pour.
1900 Barbeitos Madeira Malvazia. Opened Dec 31, 1999 and used to toast the new year. Terrific stuff.
Oldest “regular” wine: 1906 Bouchard Beaune Cuvee Estienne Hospice de Beaune, with dinner in the orangerie at Domaine Bouchard, pulled directly from their cellars. Good, but not as good as the 1929 Bouchard Pommard Rugiens that they pulled for the same dinner which remains one of the best wines I’ve ever had.
I am such a slouch. I keep poor records, but the most memorable older wine I have had is the 1964 Cheval Blanc. I remember where, what, who, what I consumed with it (copious white truffles).
My oldest non-fortified is probably an early to mid-19th century Samos. A stunning wine bottled in the early 1910s or thereabouts.
That wine is no slouch!
1815 and 1875 Madiera.
About good number of pre-phylloxera red burgs and bdx. (and pretty much all have been superb) with the oldest and best I can recall being:
Burgs:1865 Bouchard Père & Fils Volnay ‘Santenots’
Bordeaux: 1874 Lafite
Sauternes: 1864 Chateau Vigneau
Also - Madiera back to the 1820’s, VP’s back to the 1880’s, White Burgs back to 1915(I think - lots in the 1920’s), CNDP back to the 1930’s, a 1914 Cahors, and a Cognac back to 1893…
Wow what an amazing assortment!
A friend brought over a 1929 Latour when my Dad died a decade ago. He had documentation showing one prior owner, who had bought on release and had recently died himself. The bottle cork and fill were unbelievable. For its age it was amazing, though, if I’m being honest, if served blind I would have described it as a nice older Pauillac. Mostly lead pencil at this point.
I am always amazed at how well-kept rioja can age. Specifically, I brought a 1938 Riscal gran reserva (blind) to a wine geek dinner at Bobo in NYC. The whole table loved it, but nobody even guessed rioja. Like very supple liquid leather, with a slightly spicy marinade. A few years ago I drank a very memorable 1928 Patermina gran reserva with some charcuterie with an old wino college friend.
I also had a Civil War madeira at Berns – either 1862 or 1963, producer and grape unknown – that was just amazing. How anything could stay so fresh after a century and a half is mind boggling.
1963 was a great port year, and I have had several. Grahams was especially noteworthy. I believe the next prior great vintage was 1955, but they start to get very rare and quite expensive.
In Cali I have had the 1978 Shafer “normale” cabernet twice, and it was just awesome (in a Napa way) both times. But the Cali cab that most floored me was the 1968 Mayacamas. A friend served it blind, and I would have bet big $ that it was bdx.
1870 WHITWHAMS VINTAGE PORT