What are the oldest wines you've drunk?

Richard Zambuni

Richard Zambuni

Location
London and Boston
I thought this might be interesting to know. Please let us know by appellation/area (and if relevant when the wine was drunk).

If my memory serves me correctly, here are a few from me:

Cote-Rotie - De Vallouit 1969 (drunk approximately two years ago) - superb
Cornas - Cave de Tain 1966 (drunk two years ago) - very good indeed
St. Joseph - Pierre Gaillard Clos de Cuminaille 1988 (drunk last year) - alive and kicking but a bit of a country cousin compared to older Cote-Rotie
Hermitage - La Chapelle 1967 (drunk in the early nineties) - delicate and a bit edgy but fully enjoyable - released direct from the Jaboulet cellars
Cote de Beaune - an English-bottled 1949 Pommard (drunk about five years ago) - remarkably good for a village wine
Cote de Nuits - Chambertin J&B 1945 (drunk about five years ago) - sublime
Madeira - 1850 (I can't remember the precise wine) - very good indeed but I personally prefer Madeira a little younger in age
Left bank Bordeaux - Chateau Grand Puy Ducasse 1961 (drunk in the early nineties) - good
Loire red - Lame-Delisle-Boucard Bourgueil 1949 - very good indeed and a great example of why Bourgueil is under-rated both in absolute terms and for its ability to age and add complexity
Loire white - Prunier Anjou blanc moelleux 1928 (from la Vigneronne, drunk in the early nineties) - very good
Barolo - 1967 - good but not really my cup of tea
Rioja - Paternina GR 1960 - surprisingly decent for this house
Port - Taylors 1945 (drunk in about 1990) - sublime
Chateauneuf-du-Pape - English shipper 1971 - drunk this year - very good indeed
Bamyuls - 1950 (courtesy of Jonathan Points at the Ledbury) - very good indeed

Edited to add port, Banyuls, CdP and brief comments.
 
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Richard, we drank the 1969 Vallouit together. Did you try an older Vallouit Cote-Rotie without me?

My good friend Roy Hersh opened a bottle of 1827 Tokaji some years ago which he shared with me, Dirk Niepoort and a few others in the USA. Dark as a blackhole and it smelled of fine espresso coffee.
 
I think the oldest wine I've drunk is a Port from IIRC, 1917, provided blind by David Wainwright. I think at the Ledbury? I want to say Warre's but I can't be sure.

There was also a very old Australian Port at one of the original TWERPS offlines, I have a feeling from the 40s. Producer began with an S...

Also Chris Hambleton shared a Leoville Las Cases from the late 40s, 1949 maybe? That was at RSJ. I think no one was really sure on its legitimacy, Chris included. I remember the cork being remarkably short, and by and large we concluded it was real.
 
Cos d'Estournel 1945 and Margaux '47 at Neal Martin's house.
Many '64s at Peter Sidebotham's wonderful charity dinner at the Square a few years back.
1861 Madeira again with Neal.

That wonderful dinner with my parents after I had got into wine and searched the cellar of my dad's house (big old house in the country). I found, inter alia, a very dusty bottle of a St Emilion grand cru from 1961, can't remember the name. My dad had bought it while touring with the band in the mid 60s. With my new found wine knowledge and copy of Broadbent's Vintage Wine Book, I solemnly informed my father that while the vintage was considered excellent, it was now time to be drinking them up (this must have been the mid 90s). My stepmum who is a superb cook duly laid on a wonderful meal and we drank it with much ceremony. It was lovely.
 
Good question. From memory:

1917 Moscatel de Setubal, producer unknown (to me) - at an Xmas WIMPS about 10 years ago and thanks to David Wainwright. It was superb!
1942 Bordeaux - think a minor cru classe - sadly over the hill and not much fun. About 15 years ago?
1969 Chateauneuf du Pape - Grants of St James - about 5 years ago and superb
1954 Rioja - Tondonia GR - at a Sampler tasting with Maria from LdH around 10 years ago. Again superb - not at all tired.
 
1928 Pichon Lalande, sometime in the late 90s, it lasted for 2 minutes before oxidized.
1945 Haut Brion, in the late 90s, the most incredible wine ever.
1945 Mouton Rothschild, in the late 90s, no strong memory.
1947 Cheval Blanc, in the 90s, wonderful bottle.
1959 Lafite Rothschild, in the late 90s, probably too drunk to know if it was any good.
1959 Margaux, finished a 6-pack, last bottle was 2 years ago and that was the best bottle.
1961 Latour, in the late 90s, great stuff.

1967 d’Yquem, in the mid-90s, I don’t like sweet wine but I like that bottle.

1959 DRC Romanee Conti, in ‘98 during the peak of Asian Financial Crisis, wonderful stuff to wash down our sorrow. Oh...it was paired with ‘78 DRC RC which was not as good.

1962 Unico Vega Sicilia, a gift from a friend and he is still pissed that I forgot to share the bottle with him.
 
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In February 1987, I visited Bodega Antonio Barbadillo in San Lucar de Barrameda. At the end of the general ‘tourist’ tour and tasting we were treated to four copitas of finos, the first a 50yr old fino, brilliant dark gold, the second pre-phylloxera so before 1890 with an intense bouquet and concentrated long finish. The third was believed to be 1850c, which I noted was excellent, a nose of caramel, good flavour . The final copita was drawn from a barrel included in the purchase of the bodega in 1821, believed to be 1811 with a beautiful dark limpid colour, little fruit, very alcoholic and exceedingly dry.
 
All good unless otherwise stated

Chambertin BBR 1923 (oxidised)
Corton Drouhin 1947
Meursault (Belgian bottle) 1947
Chablis Valmur Laroche 1969
Ch Rausan Segla 1928
Ch Cameron Creme de Tete Sauternes 1943
Butler Nephew Port 1955
Hermitage Delas 1967
Gigondas Vayrat 1966
Moulin Touchais 1959
Liebfraumilch Deinard 1921 - waiting for next year to drink...
Zinfandel Papagni 1974
Cabernet Sauvignon Seppelt 1978
Marques de Romeral Reserva 1962
Barolo Pio Cesare 1958
Borderies Cognac unknown producer 1865
 
34 Latour 3 times about 15 years ago. Each time utterly sublime - we felt transported back to an elegant paris apartment in the 1930s
49 (I think) Trotanoy at a linden Wilkie trotanoy vertical about 15 years ago
59 faiveley mazis chambertin and 59 villages chassagne montrachet rouge kindly provided by david wainright and stephen williams, respectively at dinners in the last 3-4 years. Both very strong advertisements for the joyous 59 vintage in burgundy
Someone kindly brought some Krug private reserve bottlings from the 60s to the krug dinner last year as I recall
 
Hmmmm good question... From my notebook of old wines I can see I've been pretty lucky.
Left bank: 1928 and 1929 Latour side by side. That was quite the dinner!
Right bank: 1945 Cheval Blanc. The nose was just magic and could be smelt from 3 metres away!
Sauternes: 1899 Chateau Coutet. A bit odd. Medicinal and chemically. But nice bottle!
Red Burgundy: 1937 Jadot Corton. No notes taken?!
White Burgundy: 1966 Marquis de Laguiche Montrachet. Tasted at Drouhin's cellars. Quite young!
Champagne: 1921 Pol Roger. Tasted at Pol with Hubert prior to them sending some bottles for a large vertical in London. Again the freshness and youth were quite remarkable.
Red Rhone: 1959 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Fun for twenty minutes before completely dying.
White Rhone: 1970 Chateau Grillet. A rather academic exercise though it did go better with turbot than on its own!
Loire: 1945 Huet Vouvray Moelleux Le Haut-Lieu. Topped up at Huet before being sold. Tasted very, very young. Rather left me feeling like it had been stored in a freezer as it was difficult to detect much age at all.
Italy: 1971 Giacomo Conterno Barolo. Served blind at a dinner by a wine fellow rather deviously after the port so our palates were far from calibrated! Sumptuous though.
Spain: 1928 CVNE Rioja Imperial Gran Reserva. Light, delicate and ethereal. Still some red berry fruit with lots of walnut, fig and spices. Yummy but a bit thin and acidic on the palate. Better to sniff.
Germany: 1949 JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese. Superbly refreshing. Peaches, apples and some exotic fruits, magnificent length, just the right balance of acid and sugar. Just how I like a riesling!
USA: 1978 Mondavi Cab Reserve from magnum. Served at my 40th after a fortuitous purchase of a bottle turned out to be a magnum. Simon have it top marks. Enough said really.
Madeira: 1845 Blandy's Madeira Bual. Wowzers. To say this was concentrated would be the understatement of the century. You really only need 5ml and you are set for years of memories of taste and smell that still seem like it is before you now!
 
1919 moet, last year. Completely shot but I drank it out of principle! I have a 1928 Rausan-Segala in the cellar. I think Mr Hambleton gave me a sip of an unknown port that he was estimating to be pre 1900, hopefully he can fill in the details
 
A few years ago I visited a potential supplier in Rivesaltes, Puig-Parahy, the day after Parker's then critic for the region visited so there were more than 50 VDNs open including a fantastic 1890, the only time I have tasted a wine older than anyone I have ever met (I think). A visit to the cellar was precarious after this - barrels well over 100 years old that couldn't be moved from the family home to the comparatively new cellars outside the town and looked like they would collapse if anyone breathed heavily near them.
 
I don't think my list is complete as I don't have any way of searching my database by date. So these are just wines I remember, one per category. There have literally been dozens of pre-1930s Madeiras and lots of old clarets. The oldest Madeira was an 1874 vintage from Blandy's, then:

Champagne 1914 and 1918 Pol and Bolly
Sherry 1915 Ximenez Spinola
Alsace 1945 Schlumberger
Alentejo 1929 Mouchao
Bordeaux 1929 Haut Brion
White Bordeaux 1947 Carbonnieux
South Africa 1929 KWV Port
Loire 1924 Huet Moelleux
Lebanon 1937 Ksara
Port 1934 Unknown
Argentina 1944 Norton Tannat
Spain 1953 Vega Sicila Unico
Luxembourg 1957 Clos Mon Vieux Moulin
1959 Burgundy NSG unknown

There are tasting notes for all of these in my database, so anyone interested shoukd be able to search for and find them.
 
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