That must have been at Linden's vertical, when Anthony Barton queried the genuineness of the bottle. But when uncorked I believe the cork looked genuine, and consistent with a recorking / reconditioning at the Chateau. Apparently, Anthony Barton still seemed unconvinced took the cork away to investigate, but I believe never got back to Linden. My suspicion is that it was genuine (if one can regard a reconditionned bottle as genuine).
What are the oldest wines you've drunk?
- Thread starter Richard Zambuni
- Start date
That must have been at Linden's vertical, when Anthony Barton queried the genuineness of the bottle. But when uncorked I believe the cork looked genuine, and consistent with a recorking / reconditioning at the Chateau. Apparently, Anthony Barton still seemed unconvinced took the cork away to investigate, but I believe never got back to Linden. My suspicion is that it was genuine (if one can regard a reconditionned bottle as genuine).
- Location
- Leicestershire
I had that Cloudy Bay and the 91 when they were around 2 years old. At the time they were a revelation.
I'm not sure that this wine actually exists. There is a Blandy's Solera 1845 which is an alternative bottling to the more common Cossart Solera 1845. In the context of old vintage Madeiras they are not that concentrated. There is a extremely obscure Blandy's Terrantez 1845 which is the only supposed vintage Blandy's from 1845 I am aware of. Do you know anything more about the wine you tasted?
Last edited:
- Location
- Norwich, Norfolk
Oldest drunk
Fortified: 1927 Dows Port
Red: 1954 Vallana Spanna Campi Raudii
White: 1969 Geisweiler et Fils Meursault
Sweet: Oldest recorded in CT is 1975 Niederthäler Hof Wallhauser Pfarrgarten Silvaner Eiswein, but I've certainly drunk 1971 Rieslings
Sparkling: Again not in CT, but recall it was an old SOSS (Seppelts original sparkling shiraz - either a 1986 or a 1990 I think)
Currently the oldest wine in the cellar is a magnum(!) of 1971 Harveys Bristol cream
Oldest non-fortified is a 1974 Pio Cesare Barbera d'Alba (with a remarkably good colour when I bought it)
Fortified: 1927 Dows Port
Red: 1954 Vallana Spanna Campi Raudii
White: 1969 Geisweiler et Fils Meursault
Sweet: Oldest recorded in CT is 1975 Niederthäler Hof Wallhauser Pfarrgarten Silvaner Eiswein, but I've certainly drunk 1971 Rieslings
Sparkling: Again not in CT, but recall it was an old SOSS (Seppelts original sparkling shiraz - either a 1986 or a 1990 I think)
Currently the oldest wine in the cellar is a magnum(!) of 1971 Harveys Bristol cream
Oldest non-fortified is a 1974 Pio Cesare Barbera d'Alba (with a remarkably good colour when I bought it)
- Location
- Leicestershire
When did Harvey’s Bristol Cream replace Harvey’s Bristol Milk? Or were they different?
Could be my notes are wrong. Though there is a bottle at auction here. If it was a fake it was very nice
That's the Blandy's Bual Solera 1845 I mentioned. Solera is not the same as Vintage, and the omission of the term usually implies that you are talking about single vintage.
- Location
- London
Ah ok. In that case I would think I just didn't write down Solera. My knowledge of Madeira is not very good. Thanks for the correction Paul
- Location
- Norwich, Norfolk
I believe they were different, but hopefully someone else will chime in with something definitive. Certainly if you see a 1950s or 1960s bottle then buy with surprising confidence. I suspect the downslope started in the 1970s, but hopeful not too quickly and that mag is still good.
Different. I think they stopped making the milk about 10 years ago. In its final version the milk was even more horrid than the cream: like a poor fino with sugar added.
- Location
- London
I think it's longer-certainly an attempt to buy some about 20 years ago was unsuccessful.
- Location
- London
Madeira 1810 (is it correct Paul )
...and Madeira 1865 at Wimps Xmas 2015 for the 150 anniversary of the bottle... all courtesy of Paul D
Most surprising thing was the wines were really extraordinary... the 1865 really sank Yquem 2001...
Normal wine: a white Bordeaux from between the 2 WW shared by Audouze
Early on 1945 Moulin a vent
...and Madeira 1865 at Wimps Xmas 2015 for the 150 anniversary of the bottle... all courtesy of Paul D
Most surprising thing was the wines were really extraordinary... the 1865 really sank Yquem 2001...
Normal wine: a white Bordeaux from between the 2 WW shared by Audouze
Early on 1945 Moulin a vent
- Location
- Northampton
I bought two halves and a bottle of this from Adnams, and later on some more halves from Berry's broking. The two halves from Addams were sublime in the late 1980's and early 90's - colour still quite light. The halves from Berry's were noticeably alleged and colour significantly darker but were still excellent, whereas the bottle, opened with much anticipation, was totally shot; in appearance it was fine, with no signs of oxidation, but it was totally undrinkable.
Other old wines -
Red Bordeaux
Leoville Barton 1908, tried a bit under 10 years ago, was showing its age, but still definitely alive (unlike the '55 tried at the same event)
Ch Haut Sarpe 1918 tried back in the early '80s was amazingly fresh for a wine produced by a minor chateau over 60 years earlier.
White Burgundy
Meursault 1941 (Dr Barolet) drunk in the late 1980's and still showing well.
Port
Ferreira 1863 - drunk at a wine show masterclass just over 20 years ago; the wines had been shipped from Ferreira directly and the masterclass was hosted by their MD. Apparently it had been bottled considerably later than the usual 2 years and it did have a little extra wood character when tasted.
Madeira
Most of the wine I've had has been Solera rather than vintage, but I did have a 1915 vintage some years ago. No notes as it came at the end of a dinner at which we'd also had (among other things) Chave Hermitage '90, Penfolds Grange '88, Haut Brion '90, Vega Sicilia '70 and Ch Suduiraut '67...
- Location
- Northampton
My recollection was that Bristol Milk was an Avery's brand, rather than Harvey's. Although I remember buying some great wines from Avery's the bottle of Bristol Milk I had was not one of them!
- Location
- Northampton
Is that labelled on the back as 'Harveys of Bristol 175th anniversary'?
I had a magnum like that which was shared with Julian Jeffs at a tasting a few years ago. It showed very well - particularly considering that some of the other sherries in the tasting were among the finest sweet sherries I've ever tasted.
We were debating why they should have made a bottling for the 175th anniversary and concluded that it was possibly intended to be consumed as old bottled sherry at their 200th anniversary. It had already passed that when we opened it.
- Location
- Glasgow
Vina Real Reserva Rioja 1964. A half bottle drank in 2013. The fruit had faded away and it was on it's last legs but there was a pleasant touch of earth and soil about it.
- Location
- London
A couple of memorable old ones for me;
- a blend of 1946/1966 Hunter Valley “Sauternes” by Mount Pleasant, enjoyed at a Mount Pleasant wine club dinner in Sydney in about 2005 or 2006. Absolutely delicious, really blew me away. It was apparently the last remaining bottles that the estate had. I presume it was semillon and can only assume they had it sitting in barrels for decades before blending it so it may have also been fortified.
- a 1976 Muga Prado Enea at Rekondo in 2016 for my 40th birthday was one of my vinous highlights, it tasted like a Chambolle. A perfect bottle.
- a blend of 1946/1966 Hunter Valley “Sauternes” by Mount Pleasant, enjoyed at a Mount Pleasant wine club dinner in Sydney in about 2005 or 2006. Absolutely delicious, really blew me away. It was apparently the last remaining bottles that the estate had. I presume it was semillon and can only assume they had it sitting in barrels for decades before blending it so it may have also been fortified.
- a 1976 Muga Prado Enea at Rekondo in 2016 for my 40th birthday was one of my vinous highlights, it tasted like a Chambolle. A perfect bottle.
- Location
- London
just googled that 1946/66 mount pleasant Sauternes out of interest and found more detail on how it was blended, pretty interesting way of doing things.... also turns out it’s a blend of muscadelle and Gewürztraminer, rather than semillon!
https://www.jamessuckling.com/wine-tasting-reports/australias-greatest-ever-sweet-wine/?print=print
- Location
- Northwich
I have 2 bottles left of Harvey’s Bristol Milk 1960 bottling. Would make a great contribution to Oddities if it was ever resurrected
- Location
- East Sussex
An easy question to answer because some years ago I was lucky enough to attend a dinner at The Medlar with several forumites, ostensibly to drink EN with our friend Jesùs B and Julia Harding. Paul brought a string of rather amazing old Madeiras along. In my case they were a revelation, and I cannot for my part say that I prefer my Madeira younger. I doubt I shall ever see that particular aspect of Heaven again. He cannot imagine how grateful I was for that one opportunity to sip those old gems.
- Location
- Northampton
That's interesting. If both Harvey's and Avery's were selling Bristol Milk it must have been a generic term, whereas I had the impression that Bristol Cream was a brand name owned by Harveys.
- Location
- Dorset, England
Anthony Barton was very polite about it. If it wasn't genuine, I suspect he would have been to gentlemanly to say so.
Whatever the outcome, I didn't hold the wine in high regard. On the evening the 2005 was superb. It remains one of the three finest young red wines I have tasted.
- Location
- London
1928 Tondonia at a Roberson tasting that Mark Andrews ran a few years ago, more academic than pleasure
An 1860’s (I think) Madeira shared by Chris Hambledon at an oddities lunch
1966 Potinet-Ampeau Meursault 1er Charmes A few years ago at Chez Bruce (twice) was glorious and led me down the ruinous white burgundy route
Lots of 1966’s as a birth year, Bordeaux far easier to acquire than Burgundy more’s the pity
An 1860’s (I think) Madeira shared by Chris Hambledon at an oddities lunch
1966 Potinet-Ampeau Meursault 1er Charmes A few years ago at Chez Bruce (twice) was glorious and led me down the ruinous white burgundy route
Lots of 1966’s as a birth year, Bordeaux far easier to acquire than Burgundy more’s the pity
- Location
- k
Barbeito's 1834 Madeira. Of dry wine it must also be a Portuguese, a Colares from the 1930s but I can no longer remember the exact year. Both of these about 10-15 years ago.
- Location
- Norwich, Norfolk
Hi Mike
Many thanks for that - yes that's the bottling, and super news that yours went down well. Now to find a suitable occasion!
Regards
Ian