Every once in a while, somebody shows me an old bottle of wine and asks what I think. Normally the wine is not very good wine to begin with, and has been badly stored for way too long.
However a couple of months ago a friend showed me five bottles ranging from a ’69 champagne, to a ’78 chateauneuf, including a couple of bordeaux.
As you can see from the above, these wines were not particularly promising. Both bottles had ullage (i.e. suffered some leakage); ’74 wasn’t a great year; and for all the chatter, this is really old wine, most wine is best drunk before the 20 year mark.
All that being said, these wines were well worth drinking. The Kirwan was getting old, a little thin, but still tannic and full of life. It actually opened up in the glass which amazed me. (I expected it to fade after opening.)
I really enjoyed the Chateauneuf. It was drinking beautifully, full of licorice and the tastes of the wine.
A great evening, and a rare treat due to a good friend.